Stumbles
by otavarica
Summary: Hinata has always been the odd one among her clan due to her active and curious nature, which is exactly why she gets along with Kiba and the others. Years later it feels like nothing yet everything has changed between them. Hinata is intentionally very OOC - reason inside. Will also have some ShikaTema in the future. T for now, will most likely go up eventually.
1. Chapter 1: Friends

**A/N: My first time writing in this fandom _and _my first attempt at a multi-chapter fic. ;A; I was actually going for Hinata and Naruto having opposite personalities, but that kind of fell apart as the story progressed, mostly on Naruto's part. Umm, hopefully at least someone will find reading this as enjoyable as I find writing this! Reviews are appreciated~**

**I do not own Naruto in any way.**

* * *

The morning was like any other summer morning – a soft wind was blowing, the sun was shining and the streets of Konoha were full of people. Among those people were a couple dozen nervous children of age 7, excited to start their school career in the ninja academy. Some, such as Uzumaki Naruto, radiated the nervousness so obviously that anyone that saw him was aware of it; meanwhile Hyuga Hinata showed nothing but excitement.

The front of the academy was full of the children when the clock hit 8.30 and Umino Iruka stepped out of the main doors, eyeing his future students with a gentle smile. A few of the children were standing alone awkwardly, but he rested assured that within a few days they would find friends; that's how it always was.

"All new students, come here!" Iruka shouted, gaining everyone's attention, and showed the way with his hands. "The classroom is right around the corner, go find a seat for yourself."

It took ten minutes for the classroom to be fully assembled, and Iruka was glad to see that no one was avoiding someone by sitting farther away from them than necessary. Everyone had someone sitting next to them and there wasn't anyone that looked too uncomfortable in the setting.

"Good morning, new ninja candidates," Iruka said brightly before turning to the blackboard behind him, writing up his name. "My name is Umino Iruka and I will be educating you for the time being. I look forward to seeing your progress throughout the years and aspire to make you the best ninjas you can be, although the further education will be assigned to jounins."

The class was quiet, but Iruka could see from the children's faces that they sucked in any information that he had just said. "Now, if you're sitting next to someone you don't know that well yet, please exchange a few words with them. It'll break the ice and hopefully make you feel safe and comfortable in the classroom."

Hyuga Hinata, the midnight blue-haired heiress of the Hyuga clan, turned to her left and stuck her hand in front of Inuzuka Kiba. "I'm Hinata of the Hyuga clan, nice to meet you!"

Kiba smiled at the girl with his small fangs poking through his lips, shaking the girl's hand. "I'm Kiba of the Inuzuka clan, nice to meet you too."

Kiba was quick to question the girl's identity – all he had heard of Hyugas was that they were calm and collected at all times. What he had in front of his eyes, however, was far from that. The girl seemed very curious and active, and in record time she had also acquainted herself with Kiba's puppy, Akamaru. Calm? No. Collected? Far from it. He quite liked her from the first meeting, though, and was quick to discover that they had quite a few things in common – they both enjoyed sleeping in, taking long walks and playing hide-and-seek.

Kiba then turned to his right, shaking hands with a quiet blonde after introducing himself.

"I'm Uzumaki Na-Naru—" the blond was cut off as Hinata offered him her hand over Kiba, grinning.

"I'm Hyuga Hinata, nice to meet you Naruto-kun," she finished, giggling at the soft blush on the blond's cheeks. He shook her hand, surprised that she knew his name before he could even finish it. He had never seen a girl so pale, and he was shocked to notice that she was even paler than his mother – and _she_ was pale! He couldn't help but wonder if the girl exceeded his mother in the fear factor as well.

During the first couple of weeks of school Kiba had founded a close friendship with not only Hinata, but also Nara Shikamaru, Akimichi Chouji and Uzumaki Naruto. They occasionally hung out with Aburame Shino as well, but more often than not the quiet boy didn't feel natural to fool around with them, so he didn't. Naruto was the quietest of the group, especially around Hinata, meanwhile it often felt like the only girl of the group had the most guts of the five. She was always the first one to pull jokes on Iruka, run out of the class or tell her frank opinion whether or not it had been asked for.

Upon telling his mother about his friends and how much fun they had had when Hinata had managed to get Iruka sit on a pin, Kiba curiously watched his mother tense up.

"Hinata? As in Hyuga Hinata?" Tsume asked with a cup of coffee on her lips, petting Kuromaru and staring at her son. Kiba nodded and gained a sigh from her. "I don't think you should hang around her too much. It's rare to say this about a Hyuga, but she's not and probably never will be good influence to you."

Kiba furrowed his brows, as confused as a 7-year-old could be upon being forbidden to see his best friend, and stopped petting Akamaru. "What's wrong with her? I think she's cool. She's a lot like me, and—"

"That exactly is the problem. You don't need someone like you, you need someone like—like Shino, you know him, right? Instead of your wild nature being strengthened you need someone to balance it out."

Tsume's nearly emotionless words left her son astonished and she was barely even surprised when he stormed out of the house. Kuromaru sat quietly as he stared at his partner, and Tsume sighed. "I'm just doing what a mother has to do, right?"

The young Inuzuka explored the dimmed streets of Konoha, eyeing the adults going around hand in hand and in small groups. Akamaru sat comfortably against his chest inside his jacket and started to smell the air, letting out a quiet bark as he smelt something familiar. If he was correct, the owner of the smell would give him both attention and something good to ear, and therefore he began guiding Kiba to the source.

It didn't take long for Kiba to see Hinata looking at a family restaurant alone, hands crossed behind her back. She was startled when Akamaru jumped in her arms, but her face lit up immediately anyway. "How come you're out so late, Kiba-kun?"

Kiba remembered his mother's words but pushed them out of his mind. Hinata was his friend and his mother had no say in it. "Just needed some fresh air, and I guess it's good for Akamaru to get to a walk, too. You? Aren't you supposed to be, like, in your princess bed by now?"

Hinata's oddly sad-looking face was quick to wash off Kiba's grin as concern washed over him. Hinata, who was usually the most cheerful of his friends, was feeling down? Rare, and most definitely worrying. She sighed and hugged Akamaru, smiling gently.

"My family's eating in there, and I wasn't even invited," she said quietly, and when Kiba looked at the same direction with her, he could see a handful of brunettes with the same kind of pale eyes as Hinata. "I heard them leave and got curious, and this was what I found."

Akamaru whined and licked Hinata's fingers, gaining soft pets from the girl. Kiba frowned and took Hinata into a bear hug. As she returned the hug with one arm, Kiba was even more determined to not let his mother separate them. He had been taught to protect his loved ones, and if his mother wanted to force him away from Hinata, she would be going against her own words. She was a precious friend of his – he was to protect her.

"Ah, nope, I can't do this, this is too mushy for me," Hinata shrieked quietly with forced amusement. She had a shell around her and as much as she wanted to, she was scared to let it down. A couple of weeks of close friendship didn't quite mean that she could trust Kiba with all she had. A lot of secrets were hidden behind her shell and for the time being she thought it was okay. "Thank you for your concern though, Kiba-kun. It's appreciated, really."

Hinata smiled softly, her pale lavender eyes disappearing in the process. Kiba smiled back at her, patting her shoulder.

"Whatever it is that's bothering you, it'll get better."

It wasn't like a 7-year-old could quite understand in such depth what Hinata was going through. Her family had just had dinner without her, no? Of course she'd feel lonely.

Slowly, the couple heard a voice approaching them. A lot of the content was lost, but both of them could make out as much as "Kiba!"

"Isn't that your sister?" Hinata asked, pointing at the young female approaching them. Kiba's eyes widened as he jumped, slightly scared.

"N-nee-chan!" he shrieked and was held by his ear in record time. Hinata had to stifle her laughter as he watched Hana drag Kiba away with Akamaru walking right after them. Hana waved Hinata a quick good-bye with her brother, and the young Hyuga turned around on her heels, humming a quiet melody as she skipped her way to her empty home.

Right before she closed her eyes and entered a sweet slumber on her soft bed, she sent a mental thank you to Kiba. Around the same time the young boy closed his eyes with his lips curved into a small smile.


	2. Chapter 2: Changes

**A/N: Flashbacks in italics. I don't own Naruto. Reviews are appreciated~**

* * *

Six years had passed, and not much had changed. The group of five (or occasionally, six) was as close as ever and would often gather at Shikamaru's place and play a couple games of shogi; play video games at Naruto's or do just about whatever they felt like. They had become genins and having been assigned into the same group, Kiba and Hinata had a lot of time to deepen their friendship as well as establish a closer friendship with Shino, who had relaxed a bit since their years at the academy.

Team 8, which consisted of Hinata, Kiba and Shino, was often kept professional by the last one. Every time that they had to do something without their teacher Kurenai, Hinata and Kiba would figure out something to do that often had nothing to do with ninja training. Whenever the two of them would be about to start a water fight or a speed race in the woods Shino would clear his throat and simply ask, "How does this help us become chuunin?" That alone was enough to get Hinata and Kiba back on track.

Throughout the years Kiba had learnt a few things about Hinata. Firstly: she had a high pride that was not to be wounded. Secondly: she was most likely never going to be a hundred percent honest with him. Lastly: she was his soul mate - as a friend.

The blue-haired girl jumped on Kiba's back and ruffled his hair. "Yo, what's up?"

Kiba tried to put his hair back in order (what order?) and looked at Hinata with faked annoyance. The girl laughed and smacked his back which was enough to break him down from his tough act. "About to go practice with my mom; she promised to teach me a new jutsu. You?"

Hinata grinned and pointed in the direction that Kiba was sure led to the training field. "About to go practice with Kurenai-sensei, she said she'd teach me some basics of genjutsu and help me with my gentle fist."

Kiba nodded and congratulated Hinata, happy to see that she, too, was going to learn something new. And not something basic either – genjutsu! He knew that he could never use it, so he was fascinated to know that soon his best friend could.

"Tell me what it's like, okay? I need to hurry now though, see you later!"

"Have fun and master that jutsu, Kiba-kun!" Hinata shouted after the brown-haired boy that ran off, waving at him even though she knew he wouldn't see. It was a habit, she waved a lot in general.

Kiba had been excited for their training sessions, but he wasn't aware that Hinata's training sessions didn't only include Kurenai, but also Sakura and Ino – the former was talented in genjutsu meanwhile the latter one was curious and wanted to be with her best friend. While this didn't sound threatening, it turned out that in a sense, it was.

* * *

_Occasionally Kiba would take Akamaru out later than he should've. When he became a genin and was allowed a later curfew from his mother, he took the late walks more and more often and began to notice that Wednesdays and Fridays were the nights when he was most likely to come across Hinata, who would just wander around on the stone paving at the edge of the village, her arms stretched to her sides to give her balance._

_On those evenings Kiba would usually observe her for a while, as if to see if she had company (which she never did) before he approached her. After the first few times she stopped being startled and stopped walking around, but instead she would usually sit on a branch of a maple tree and jump down when she thought that Kiba was close enough._

_One of those Friday nights Kiba saw Hinata stand at the very tip of the usual maple tree. Akamaru let out a bark, which startled the girl for the first time in a while, and she rushed down._

_"__Yo," Kiba greeted her and began walking to the field near the area they met at. The field was always quiet and empty, which had allowed the two to meet in thrilling secrecy for the few years that they had done that. Next to it was a shallow river, in which Hinata would sometimes let her feet soak as she walked on the stony bottom. _

_Kiba preferred staying dry, which practically meant that he was never going to stay that way – every time Hinata walked in the river, she'd make sure to do a few sudden jumps that would cause the water to splash onto Kiba's clothes._

_"__Are you excited about tomorrow's mission?" Hinata asked cheerfully as she let the river rocks massage her feet. It hurt a bit, but in a way she liked the feeling of the edges rubbing into her skin. Kiba threw a stick for Akamaru to fetch and excitedly let out a positive answer._

_"__Totally! I've never been to Kumogakure before, so it'll be exciting to see and smell all the new things," the brunette explained in excitement. Hinata laughed lightly and jumped out of the river._

_"__I'm actually kind of nervous," she mumbled as she sat down next to Kiba's feet, which prompted him to sit down as well. "I don't deal too well with thunderstorms, and there's bound to be a lot of lightnings in there, right?"_

_Kiba nodded thoughtfully and made a mental note of observing Hinata during the mission, just in case she'd need some support. As he thought about the building she lived in, he couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. "Don't you live in a really thin-walled house though? How do you manage?"_

_"__I've found comfort in old photos," Hinata smiled and let her back lower to the grassy ground. Akamaru was walking on the other side of the river, clearly interested in what was going on in the bushes of the small forest nearby. Kiba stretched his back a bit before grinning at Hinata._

_"__But this time you'll have the whole Team 8, so everything's gonna be fine," he said reassuringly and had just made Hinata sigh in relief when he sneaked his hand to her side and began to tickle her mercilessly. Hinata yelped and stifled a scream before she returned the attack, tackling Kiba to the ground and tickling his sides. The boy laughed and seemed to like the tickling, which frustrated Hinata – what was the point of a tickling war when it wasn't like torture?_

_"__You could at least pretend that you don't like it!"_

* * *

Within a few months Kiba began noticing changes in Hinata which only got stronger as months went by. Slowly but visibly she became more feminine: her actions were more graceful, her language had toned down a lot just as did her voice, and suddenly she wasn't up for everything that the boys were.

What was, however, the most striking change was that every time one of the boys would invite her somewhere, she'd decline – she already had plans with Sakura and Ino.

Kiba was disappointed, but so was everyone else. It didn't feel the same without Hinata, somehow she had managed to be a big part of the glue that kept the boys together. It wasn't like they'd drift apart just because she left them, but it was different.

Shikamaru lost his best shogi opponent, Choji lost his favorite person to share his food with and Kiba lost his best friend. Even though they still occasionally saw each other during practice and missions, it wasn't the same.

Kiba felt as if Hinata had shut a part of herself inside, and that was exactly the part of her that he missed. Instead of playing around with Kiba, Hinata would now quietly hum something as she helped Shino to put up the tent – what was up with that? And what about her cutesy-cute jacket? Where was the dark purple shirt and the black hoodie she'd sported for the past forever?

Kiba was well aware that people matured and changed throughout the years, but to him it all just seemed like a load of crap.

* * *

_A Friday night, and Hinata wasn't anywhere near the maple tree. Kiba stayed near it for a while, smelling the air in search for the fresh scent of the Hyuga, but was disappointed to not find a trace of it. Akamaru tilted his head and barked. Kiba sighed and rubbed Akamaru behind his ear._

_"__I guess she won't come," he huffed and walked to the field alone with his partner. The dog was visibly upset, but so was his owner. It wasn't the first time that Hinata hadn't come, but he still kept on hoping that one night she would be there, waiting for him with a wide smile all over her face._

_When the duo reached the riverbank, they began a race to the end of the field. Naturally, Akamaru won, but Kiba cared more about the motion anyway. During the fourteen years of his life he had learned that exercise of any kind was the best way for him to clear his mind, and if it also provided Akamaru with some kind of an activity, it was only better. Besides, the dog liked to win, so Kiba gladly gave it the pleasure of doing so._

_"__Another one?" Kiba suggested to his partner, who had already shot far ahead of him. The brunette shook his head in amusement as he ran after the dog. When they came back to the place they had originally began the race from, Kiba could hear voices coming from the forest. He walked closer and climbed up a tree, quietly jumping from branch to branch until he found the source of the voices. Akamaru followed suit and whined when he sensed the tension building up in Kiba's body._

_What Kiba's dark eyes saw was a sight of Ino, Sakura and Hinata, but he wasn't sure of what they were exactly doing. For all he knew it could've been a training session, since Hinata was still practicing genjutsu. However, his thought of a training was quickly proven wrong as the girls sat down, spread out a blanket and took some kind of pastries out of their small bags. He raised an eyebrow, unimpressed._

_"__You guys won't believe what happened today!" Ino exclaimed excitedly whilst handing her friends two pieces of fresh-baked cake. The two other girls showed visible curiosity, and therefore the blonde continued with a wide smile on her face, "Shikamaru confessed to me!"_

_Kiba's face fell as he tried to imagine his friend with the blonde, but was unable to quite see the picture. It was known that he had been interested in Ino for a while, but Kiba had never imagined that the guy would confess. Didn't that usually mean that he wanted to date her?_

_"__Congratulations, Ino-chan!" Hinata and Sakura said in unison and tapped their friend on her back. She had a rosy color on her cheeks as she accepted the words._

_Kiba wrinkled his nose. He gave it three months._

_He left the area bitterly, with an upset Akamaru walking beside him. He had a hard time understanding why and how Hinata had exchanged them and their traditional nights out into two gossip-y girls and cake. _

_Besides, the smell of fresh pastries had made him awfully hungry._

* * *

"Kiba-kun, what are you doing?" Hinata inquired with that now polished language and voice of hers, crouching next to the pouting boy. He glared at her, shrugging.

"Like you care, Hyuga," he hissed and threw a flat stone into the river. Hinata sat down and looked at the flowing river, occasionally stealing a glance at Kiba. It wasn't like it was easy for her, either, making female friends for the first time in her life. She was so scared to let go of her friends yet she felt the thirst to talk about girly stuff and _do_ girly stuff. She wanted to talk about boys, braid her hair and make flower arrangements. Yet, she also wanted to stuff her mouth with potato chips, aggressively beat Naruto in a video game and have stupid arguments with Kiba that always ended in laughter.

Simply put, she was confused.

"I know that I've become distant, but it's still me, Kiba-kun," she said softly, stroking Kiba's covered arm. He pulled his arm away and stubbornly hugged his knees.

"It sure doesn't feel like it. For the six years that I've known you, this has never been you," he muttered and closed his eyes. Anger was slowly stopping its boiling inside of him and his heartbeat was about to return to normal. Hinata, however, was just about to get angry.

"What—what do you know? Do you _know_ me? You know what I've shown you, but have you ever seen _me_?" she snapped and immediately stood up, her hands clenched in fists. "Hell, Inuzuka, what do you know?!"

As she stormed off, Kiba couldn't help a small smile creeping its way to his lips.

_'__That's more like her.'_

Hinata, on the other hand, broke in tears as soon as she reached an area where she knew she was alone. She was so confused, so confused with herself. Who was she? What was she like? Who was she to demand Kiba whether he knew her when even _she_ didn't know her? She took in a deep breath before walking closer to a river she could hear flowing nearby; with the help of byakugan it was easy to locate it.

Arriving at the river, she found a still area where it expanded into a pond. She took a good look at her slightly blurry reflection and scrutinized it.

Her eyes screamed that she was a Hyuga.

A lot of her other features claimed that she was a female.

But besides those trivial things, who was she? She knew that her appearance wouldn't help her solve the question, but it didn't stop her from wondering. Who on earth was this Hyuga Hinata? Was she feminine or was she more of a tomboy? Had she just grown out of her phase of hanging out with her male friends, or was she suffocating her real self to accustom herself into the general Hyuga model?

She wasn't able to deny that it felt good to actually exist to her family for once.

Two weeks later, Hinata hadn't exchanged a single word with Kiba - the rest of the previous mission had been completed in utter silence between the two. Akamaru had almost come to her several times, but Kiba had usually stopped him while still forcing a small smile on his lips that he then aimed at the girl. Hinata was unable to return the smile.

With time, Kiba became more and more aware of how far the Hyuga was drifting from him; how far she already had. It made him worry and it disappointed him, but in the end all he could do was to accept it. He, too, had his pride, and it was difficult to come over it.

"Have you ended your friendship with Hinata, or how come you've become so calm? Is everything okay?" his mother asked during dinner one day. He moved a meatball on his plate with wooden chopsticks before sighing heavily.

"She's changed. I haven't properly spoken to her in…" he stopped so that he could count, "four months, I'd say." He didn't count the clash during the latest mission, as it could hardly be called _talking_.

As sad as his mother was that her son was feeling so down, before she could stop it, she slipped the sentence that would resurface the anger from six years before. "Didn't I say that you shouldn't hang out with her? She's got nothing but a negative influence on you."

Kiba let his chopsticks fall onto his plate and stood up with his palms slamming hard on the table.

"You just don't get it, do you? She was the best thing in my life, and now it's as if she doesn't exist. So stop saying that she has a negative influence on me when she's so much more than that!"

Watching her son storm out of the house just like six years earlier, Tsume tightened her jaw. "Should've kept that one in, huh, Kuromaru?"

Kiba found a comfortable seat on a roof in the center of Konoha, from where he watched people walk in the streets, with Akamaru on his back. Somewhere in the distance he was able to recognize Hinata walking with Ino and Sakura, and meanwhile his initial reaction was to turn his attention elsewhere, he couldn't help but stare – and listen.

"It'll be okay, Hinata-chan. Maybe you should talk to him?" Ino said with a soft voice, patting her friend's back. Hinata sighed and slumped her shoulders, muttering a quiet "who knows."

"Look, if you won't, we will," Sakura said, full of determination. A small light in Hinata's eyes dimmed down before it was able to even light up properly. She was so, so unsure. She missed her best friend, yet she found herself helpless and incapable of changing things, changing herself.

"I'll… see about it," she muttered before giving a reassuring smile to her friends. Kiba rested his chin against his right hand as he observed, and he could swear that his sensitive nose smelled a noticeable amount of stress hidden under vanilla-scented perfume.

Damn, he even missed the perfume he used to tease her about.


	3. Chapter 3: Restart

**A/N: I don't own Naruto. The previous two chapters have been more or less a prelude, and this is where things will slowly get going. :) Reviews are very much appreciated~ **

* * *

For the next four years Kiba and Hinata didn't delve in conversations with each other that much – only what was necessary was said. The drifting apart had been further enabled by the fact that their previous team had been completing missions in other formations and therefore didn't meet as much.

However, on Kiba's eighteenth birthday that was to change. He hadn't invited Hinata, but she had anything but forgotten his birthday despite the lack of an invitation. On the earlier years she had managed to leave Kiba and Akamaru small presents by his doorstep without getting noticed, but this time she was caught by Shikamaru.

"Hinata?" Shikamaru asked curiously when he saw the dark-haired girl stand up and jump in surprise. He took a cigarette and lit it, eyeing the girl dressed more formally than usual. "Aren't you gonna come in?"

Hinata was about to say no, but her mind changed as soon as she saw his eyes. Shikamaru wasn't one to say much with his eyes, but Hinata could see the warm nostalgia in them and couldn't pass the chance. She smiled gently and picked up the carefully wrapped presents that she had put down less than a minute ago.

They stood next to each other until Shikamaru's cigarette finished, catching up with each other a bit, and the brown-haired boy even got a grin from Hinata, who was slowly loosening up.

"I'm sure Kiba'll be glad to see you, too," he said right before stomping on his cigarette and held the door open for Hinata, who wasn't as sure about his words. When the couple entered the half-full Inuzuka living room and Shikamaru announced Hinata's arrival, she nervously focused on Kiba's reaction – his eyes widened before returning to their normal size and a small smile took over his lips.

Shikamaru gave Hinata a push on her back, and so she walked to Kiba with her hands extended out, handing him the two presents.

"Happy birthday, Kiba-kun, and Akamaru, too," she said hurriedly and began playing with the hem of her pale blue dress as soon as the birthday boy had taken the presents.

"Thanks, Hinata," he replied with a wide grin, stood up and gave her a bear hug. "I've missed you, thanks for coming."

As Kiba was near enough, Hinata could smell that he had had a bit to drink (and she knew who to blame), but she wasn't going to complain. Instead, she wrapped her arms around him as well and took in as much of his scent as possible. A lot of memories were brought to her mind by the slight wild sense of his scent, but in general she noticed that he smelled more like a man. And, well, a man he was.

Kiba felt as if his many years' worth of anger had just flown out of the window, but he was only happy about it. There was something calming about getting to hold Hinata so close to himself after such a long time, and he could hear his heartbeat (or was it hers?). He patted Hinata on her back and pulled away.

When she was free from Kiba's touch, Hinata let out a breath she didn't realize she was keeping. The close contact after so long had sent tingles around her body, which confused her. She wasn't supposed to feel all giddy and tingly in his arms – he was a friend! She gave Kiba one of the gigantic smiles he had last seen years ago as she patted his shoulder. "I'm so glad that I came."

The evening went by slowly, but Hinata was only glad about that, for she spent most of it with Kiba, talking things over, apologizing and attempting to mend what they had lost. Hinata, too, had gotten some sake to drink and therefore was mostly back to the Hinata she had been four years prior, cracking a joke every now and then and saying things rather bluntly.

"You've gotten pretty tall, Kiba-kun," she said and smirked at the boy next to her. They were sitting on the roof of his house and were looking at the sky and the over the city. Kiba crossed his hands behind his head and snickered, eyeing Hinata.

"And this isn't all, there hasn't been an Inuzuka below 185cm yet," he winked his eye at her smugly, laughing as Hinata nudged his side playfully.

"Maybe you'll be the first one, idiot," Hinata suggested and lay down next to Kiba, turning her head to face him, her eyes meeting his. "There's a first for everything." She had to resist the urge to sweep some of the brown strands of hair away from his forehead.

"Yeah, no, I don't do exceptions," Kiba laughed and let his eyes wander around the curves of Hinata's body. "You've… matured."

Hinata felt a blush creeping up to her cheeks and it only took a few seconds for her to feel the burning. "A-anyone would, I'm n-not a child anymore." She suddenly felt a lot more conscious about the length of her dress and the cleavage that she was giving away, even though they weren't much. It wasn't like she was completely giving away the fun, but knowing that Kiba had checked her out made her feel… naked.

Kiba shook his head and snorted, turning his gaze to the sky. "Never mind I said that, I don't want to sound like a creeper."

Hinata smiled and moved closer to the male, resting her head on his chest as she let her eyes wander to the stars as well. "I've missed this."

Kiba felt his breath hitch before he managed to take his right arm around Hinata's slender shoulders. He could feel the burning of his cheeks and the playful glint in his eyes as he squeezed Hinata gently.

"Me too, me too… Hey, do you want to hang out with us tomorrow? You know, me, Naruto, Shikamaru, Choji and Shino, like the old times? They miss you too… I mean, you've seen Naruto a lot since he kept joining you girls, but the rest of us haven't had the chance to kick your ass in _ages_ in combat."

Hinata felt the left edge of her mouth curve into a smirk as she looked at Kiba's playful face and gave it a gentle slap. "You're the one who's gonna get his ass kicked, Inuzuka."

"Really now, Hyuga? Have you _seen_ Akamaru? How on earth are you gonna beat _that_?" Kiba asked excitedly, sitting up from the sudden rush of adrenaline. Hinata did as he did and sat up as well, making a smug face before crossing her arms before her chest.

"I've learnt quite a few things these past years, just so you know," she said simply, stood up and sneaked back into the house through an open window that was easily accessible from the roof. Kiba followed her, tackling the screaming Hinata to the floor of his bedroom as he slipped. He shook his head and tried to think of what had just happened, his hand slowly moving down on the back of Hinata's right thigh.

Hinata was blushing, she knew it, and it wasn't made better when she felt Kiba crawl a bit further, meeting Hinata's eyes dangerously close. "Sorry, I lost my balance."

Hinata sighed and pushed Kiba's head away before getting up from the floor and dusting her dress. "Get up, birthday boy, I bet your other guests are wondering where you are," she said as she pulled him up, and again, he ended up dangerously close to her. She could feel Kiba's breath on her pale skin, which forced some of her neck hair up.

"As you wish, princess," Kiba grinned and brushed Hinata's waist with his palm, leaving the girl quiet and a bit embarrassed, as she leaned against the wall with her knees nearly giving in.

_'__Stupid Kiba.'_

* * *

"Where the hell is Kiba? He's supposed to be here, it's his own freaking birthday!" Naruto whined and rocked himself on the soft couch with a pillow in his arms. Shikamaru looked up from the magazine he had been reading and tried to recall the last time he had seen the other brunette.

"I'm pretty sure he's upstairs," Shikamaru said, then gave a thought to another missing person, "and most likely with Hinata, too."

Naruto scowled and crashed his back on the couch. If anyone, it should've been _him_ upstairs with Hinata! He had so much to say to her and the party would've been the best place for that – in normal circumstances he could never snatch her away and simultaneously have the courage to speak his mind and heart.

"Naruto, for the love of god, calm down," Shikamaru sighed as the blond kicked his feet in the air while incomprehensibly mumbling about how much he wanted to hold Hinata in his arms. "Chouji."

The named boy put his cup of sake down and picked Naruto up on his shoulder.

"Let's go buddy, we don't want you to do anything you'll regret, now do we."

Shikamaru sighed and returned to his magazine. He could still hear Naruto's loud objections even when Chouji had already taken him outside.

* * *

The party didn't continue for much longer, as the guests began leaving one after another since Chouji had taken Naruto away. The last one left was Shikamaru, so Kiba decided to walk him and Hinata home with Akamaru.

Exiting the Inuzuka residence, Hinata instantly shuddered in the chilly air. Perhaps the rather short-sleeved dress wasn't the best idea to wear, but then again, she didn't know that she'd be going home so late. When she had left her home she had thought that he'd bring the presents, maybe spend a while in the village and go home.

"Ah, Shikamaru. We were planning to hang out tomorrow, so how about you drag Chouji and Naruto with you? Like before, you know," Kiba grinned to the slightly taller brunette, who nodded and gave Kiba and Hinata a small smile. "And I'll get Shino with me."

"Unless you've got a place in mind already, I happen to know that Chouji's place is available," Shikamaru announced and got two approvals and a bark. "There at three, then?" The group stopped as they reached Shikamaru's house. Hinata gave Shikamaru a friendly hug and wished him a good night, which only caused him to mutter something about women being too troublesome for him to deal with.

"Says the one who has a thing for the most troublesome woman there is," Kiba coughed into his hand and focused on everything else but Shikamaru when the older male started to look like he was about to strangle him.

"Really? Oh, who is it, who is it!" Hinata exclaimed excitedly, hitting her palms against each other. Even though she had a slight idea already – it wasn't like she was blind – she wanted to hear him admit it.

"It's—it's no one," Shikamaru scratched the back of his head and tried to gain control over the blush on his cheeks, not quite succeeding at doing so. Hinata leaned closer to him, whispered a couple of words about a certain blonde kunoichi from Sunagakure and grinned excitedly as Shikamaru's blush deepened.

"I see, I see," Hinata hummed giddily, skipping away from Shikamaru. "Well, good luck on that. I'm sure she wouldn't mind you trying to make a move. Just saying."

Shikamaru merely bit his lip and said a stiff goodnight before entering his house with a slamming door. Hinata and Kiba laughed heartily at how well they had managed to embarrass their usually very collected friend, and they knew that even though Shikamaru appeared unhappy now, he didn't really mind. Soon silence fell over the two of them and they began approaching the Hyuga compound.

* * *

_Hinata and Sakura worriedly observed Ino as she continued on her forcedly cheerful behavior at her family's flower shop. Her eyes were red and puffy and she didn't look like she'd gotten too much sleep, yet there she was, giddily having a monologue about pointless things that didn't relate to anything in any way._

_The two knew what had happened – there weren't many people in their age group that didn't. Shikamaru had broken up with the blonde, and although he had tried to be as sensitive about it as was possible, Ino didn't take it that well. Who would, when they didn't see it coming?_

_"__And Konohamaru came over yesterday, too! For the first time ever," the blue-eyed chirped and leaned her chin against her palm, letting her eyes slowly fall shut. Hinata frowned and approached the blonde, whereas Sakura remained still with a sad expression._

_"__She shouldn't hide her feelings like that," Sakura whispered when Hinata had given her a sign that Ino had more or less lost her consciousness. The Hyuga brought Ino's left arm over her shoulders and together with Sakura, brought her to her room upstairs._

_It was truly painful to see their friend like that. Neither of them knew what it felt like; Hinata hadn't had a relationship and Sakura's budding relationship with Lee was still on a baby level. Ino, on the other hand, was freshly out of a year-long relationship. _

_"__It must really hurt though," Hinata whispered as she covered Ino with her purple covers and sighed. "First you let a person into your comfort zone and when you trust them enough, they push you away."_

_Sakura looked at her friend curiously, nodding. What was Hinata implying, or was she implying anything?_

_"__She'll get over it with time," Sakura said warmly and sat on the edge of Ino's desk. "She's one of the mentally strongest people I know." Hinata nodded._

_"__Why did Shikamaru break up with her, anyway?"_

_"__Apparently he'd reasoned it so that he cared for her too much to continue. What I got from Naruto, though, was that he'd gotten interested in the Sunagakure blonde, who was it, Temari?" Hinata could sense Sakura tensing up as the pink-haired finished her sentence and cracked her knuckles. "So I guess in a sense he did care about her too much. Or so I hope, otherwise I've got a bone to pick with him."_

_Hinata shivered, suddenly very thankful for not being Shikamaru._

* * *

"Have you been well in general, Hinata? I don't think that came up on the roof," Kiba asked and took a look at the girl who walked on the stone paving on the right edge of the street they were walking on, her arms stretched out like they were whenever she was walking on the paving.

"Mmh, yeah," she mumbled and jumped to walk next to Kiba, crossing her arms behind her head. Kiba frowned – her expression didn't match her words. He had always had a feeling that she wasn't telling him the whole truth, and behind her cheerful expression there was always something so _sad_ that all he wanted to do was to confront her and demand facts, after which he would comfort her.

Having many doglike features to him, Kiba was never, ever wrong when it came to sensing someone's true mood. Just like Akamaru always sensed when he was upset, he sensed when Hinata was.

"You're not telling everything, are you?" Kiba's voice was gentle and quiet as he asked the question Hinata had been expecting to come up sooner or later. She shook her head and stared at Kiba calmly.

"There'll be a time when I'll open my heart to you, but it's not now. When that time comes you will be completely sober and we won't be walking on a street, but sitting somewhere quiet, just the two of us, and I'll spill my secrets." Hinata's face was serious, but she soon broke into a smile Kiba knew was fake. "Does that sound good to you?" Kiba nodded; there wasn't much to be done about it, was there?

Upon reaching the wooden gate which read _Hyuga,_ the couple stopped. Kiba had his hands in his pockets which protected them from the cold wind and his eyes were fixed on Hinata; the way she was smiling, this time from her heart, and the way the hem of her dress slowly swung due to the wind.

She walked closer and gave him a friendly hug, inhaling his scent just as greedily as she had done earlier. "Happy birthday, Inuzuka."

Before Kiba could thank the girl, she had already pressed her plump lips to his marked cheek and stroked the other one gently with her thumb. Before he could react to that, either, she was running in from the gate, shout-whispering a goodnight with a hand waving at him.

Kiba stood there, dumbfound, with blood rushing to his cheeks in record speed. His mouth hung open as he brought his right hand to the cheek Hinata's lips had just rested on. His heart was beating faster and he was barely able to wrap his head around the feelings surging through his body.

He tilted his head and looked in from the gate. Unfortunately all he saw was the big tree and an empty field – and a brown-haired man sitting on the porch, looking straight into Kiba's soul with a stern look on his face. Gulping, Kiba realized that the man was most likely Hinata's father and therefore bowed deeply before he jumped on Akamaru's back and rode home.

He found surprising difficulty falling asleep even after exhausting himself with cleaning up the whole house.

Hinata sat on her bed, out of breath, and brushed her hair before putting it up on a bun. She had just changed her dress into her two-piece pajamas in a rush and was now mostly trying to get over what she had just done. She buried her face into her hands, cursing her actions, yet also feeling incredibly good about the kiss she had landed on Kiba's cheek. While she hoped that the boy didn't mind, she couldn't rest assured as she hadn't gotten a glance at his face before dashing away.

She lay on her bed and smiled at herself – Hyuga Hinata was a free soul. She didn't belong in the general Hyuga model; she belonged to a whole different category.

Hyuga Hinata was more Hinata than she was Hyuga.


	4. Chapter 4: Tips and Decisions

**A/N: I don't own Naruto. And so the story proceeds, slowly but surely. :) I was really happy to notice that this has two follows, thanks for those! Reviews are appreciated~ **

* * *

Hinata left her house dressed in pale blue capris and a black t-shirt, a small backpack hanging from her left shoulder and black sandals covering some of her feet. Her hair was on a high ponytail and the dark locks hit her shoulders as she strolled down the streets, standing by Chouji's door within ten minutes. Knocking on the door, it didn't take too long for Naruto to open it with a wide smile.

"Hi, Hinata-chan," the blond said with rosy cheeks and let the girl in. "Everyone's upstairs in Chouji's room."

Hinata smiled and took her sandals off before she and Naruto began walking up the stairs. Naruto's heart was beating wildly, and so was Hinata's – just for a very different reason. "Didn't we agree on three? It's quarter to three and you're all here already," Hinata forced a laugh out of her and gripped the strap of her backpack tightly. Naruto shrugged and said that they never went by the time – Shikamaru, for one, had been there since noon.

"Yo, look who's here," Naruto said as he and Hinata entered the large room the other boys were in. Chouji's face lit up as he greeted Hinata, Shikamaru and Shino gave her a nod and Kiba was unnaturally focused on a newspaper. Hinata bit her lip and tried to calm her heartbeat, but to her misfortune the heart never listens to its owner.

She put her backpack down by the door and walked to the shogi board Shikamaru was sitting behind. "Ready to lose, Nara?" she grinned and cracked her knuckles, gaining a focused look from the male.

"Are _you_?" Shikamaru returned the question calmly, and Hinata knew that he was already planning his moves.

Kiba had stepped out of the large window into a small balcony with the newspaper he had previously hidden behind and was now fanning himself with it. Naruto followed him and leaned to the railing, amusedly eyeing the usually very relaxed friend of his.

"What's up with you?" Naruto asked curiously and laughed at Kiba as he lowered the newspaper and revealed a rather pale face which only gave his clan markings more contrast. Even though the more logical thing would've been for him to blush immensely as he remembered the moment Hinata landed her lips on his cheek, he was instead feeling so nervous that his face had lost all of its color.

"Nothing, nothing, absolutely nothing, why would anything be up with me ahaha," Kiba said nervously in such a fast speed and such a shaky voice that Naruto could barely make out any words. He didn't look amused as Kiba continued fanning himself with the newspaper without explaining any further.

"Dude, you were normal until Hinata-chan knocked on the door. Do you honestly think no one noticed the way you went into some kind of a robot mode as soon as that happened?" Naruto asked and scrutinized Kiba's face with squinted eyes. "Did something happen last night?"

Kiba stopped the fanning again and tried to breathe in deep to calm himself down. "Well, um, there's a chance that she possibly, like, kissed my cheek but you know, that's nothing, it's normal," Kiba rambled nervously and completely missed the way Naruto's face muscles tensed for a few seconds.

"Do you… like her?" Naruto asked quietly, focusing his gaze on the Hokage stone faces. That felt like a safe thing to stare at as he waited for Kiba's answer which would practically determine the future of Naruto's love life. Kiba froze and opened and closed his mouth several times.

"I-I guess I don't dislike her? Man, I don't know," he breathed and hung his head down from the railing he was leaning on. "I guess she's likable. She—makes me feel things." This time Kiba did notice Naruto's reaction – the way his hands clenched into fists and trembled slightly in the air.

"I see… well, good luck, then," Naruto forced out of his mouth. Being the considerate person he was, he was ready to put his long-term feelings aside if it meant that Hinata could find happiness with Kiba, who clearly liked her quite a bit – the Naruto was sure that he had never seen the brunet as uneasy as he was at that moment. Kiba looked baffled and raised his eyebrows.

"Uh, thanks? Although that's… a bit early," Kiba began with a concerned expression which he aimed at Naruto, "are you sure it's okay? We all know how you feel about her, you know." Naruto turned his face to his friend and flashed his trademark smile with a thumbs-up. Kiba smiled at him but was unable to dodge the guilty feeling in his stomach. Even though nothing was for sure, he felt like he was betraying Naruto by admitting that he had feelings for the Hyuga. But in the end, one can't help their feelings, can they?

"I'm good, just—go for it, okay? I wouldn't have the courage to confess anyway, so if I was to see her with someone else, I guess you're one of the ones that would anger me the least," Naruto laughed and patted Kiba's shoulder. The brunette sighed uneasily. Here he was, getting encouraged to tell about his feelings to a girl he had unexplainable feelings for. He supposed that there was only one way to figure out what the feelings were.

* * *

Hours passed. Hinata won Naruto twice in a row on whatever new fighting game the boy had gotten his hands on, Shikamaru kept his title as the shogi master and Choji surprised everyone by giving her a bag of chips – a full one. Kiba didn't exactly talk with Hinata as he was still trying to sort out his feelings, meanwhile Shino did get a few minutes with her. The Hyuga was happy to know that her other former teammate was also doing well in life, forming strong bonds with his friends and the bug-collecting clans from other countries.

Even though Kiba didn't socialize with her at all, he had his eyes fixated on her for way more than half of the time, to the extent that Shikamaru nudged his side when they were sitting next to each other on Choji's soft couch.

"So, what's the deal?" the lazy-eyed brunet asked with a covered yawn as he crossed his arms behind his head, closing his eyes. Kiba tore his eyes away from Hinata's back which was shaking from her laughter, and gazed at his friend instead with a questioning sound making its way out of him. "Did something happen after I left? And don't you just say '_Oh, I don't know_,' under normal circumstances you would've spent the whole day together."

Kiba smiled at Shikamaru's rather obvious frustration and crossed his legs on the couch, put his left elbow against his thigh and supported his chin with the hand. "It might be nothing, but I'm getting the signals that she's interested in me," Kiba said quietly, not wanting anyone else to hear, and scowled at Shikamaru's snort.

"Are you sure you're not making this up? She has a lot of physical contach with all of us, Kiba, a hug doesn't mean a thing," Shikamaru laughed and shook his hed. Kiba pouted and bit his lower lip before leaning in to Shikamaru's ear. "Wait, what?!"

The fanged boy merely nodded at his close friend, who now had his eyes wide open. The grayish orbs moved to Hinata, observing her for a while, and he could swear that she occasionally stole glances in his direction, not because of him, but because of Kiba.

In the end he looked at Kiba with a dead serious face, letting a breath out of his lips. "Yep, the Hyuga's got a thing for you. Better prepare yourself, yeah? Women are complicated and extremely troublesome," Shikamaru cut his speech as he knew all too well what Kiba was about to say as he opened his mouth, "and do _not_ say anything regarding Temari or you'll find a shadow following you home."

Kiba shut his mouth and nodded in understanding – there was no joking with Shikamaru. At one point he had taken a joke too far and had ended up chased by a shadow-controlled Akamaru, and he didn't want any more of that. "Any tips?"

Shikamaru looked into Kiba's black orbs with not a fraction of amusement in his own, "As you know, things with Ino didn't go all that well and I've barely managed to charm Temari. Now, do you really want tips from _me_?" Kiba shrugged and muttered that even that would be better than nothing. "Just go with the flow. Do what feels right, even if it feels weird at first. And for the _love of god_, don't let her family see anything."

Kiba tilted his head, urging Shikamaru to continue. "As you know, the Hyugas are really prestigious. Hinata, as a member of the main family, is practically a princess, an heir or not. And princesses don't do _dating_, they do courting." Kiba nodded enthusiastically, feeling a bit warm and fuzzy in his stomach. "Just be careful, yeah? You don't want a mad middle-aged Hyuga suppressing all of your chakra points, do you?" Kiba shook his head and winced at the mental image.

"What is this topic that's getting Kiba-kun all excited?" Hinata asked as she sat on the armrest Kiba's back was leaning against. Kiba wanted to hint on that she'd gotten his body language all wrong, but when her hands landed on his broad shoulders and rested her chin on the top of his head, he decided to keep quiet. Shikamaru was working on an answer that would keep all secrets as such.

"Oh you know, new pups, you know how excited Kiba gets every time a new litter's born," Shikamaru lied through his teeth and smiled as Hinata's excitement began to show.

"Really, when?" she asked curiously, playing with Kiba's brown locks and completely ignoring the rather stiff expression Kiba had on his face. Shikamaru's eyes widened for a fraction of a second before he regained his serious look, giving a time of six weeks, to which Kiba's eyes widened in shock and Shikamaru could read from his lips '_How the hell do I get new pups in six weeks?!_'

Hinata patted Kiba on his back and retreated back to talk with the other boys, and thus left Kiba with the wish to strangle Shikamaru. "Now, now, you can use the truth as a flirt, so calm down," the gray-eyed said and grabbed Kiba's wrist as he had been about to swing his palm at his friend's face.

"It better work," Kiba hissed and swallowed, stroking his hair back in place. Shikamaru muttered that there was no doubt about it and left Kiba at a loss of arguments.

* * *

The evening came and it was time for Chouji to kick everyone except Shikamaru out – they had planned on the sleepover for a while and therefore wanted to stick with it. The remaining group of four exited the Akimichi residence with cheerful laughter ringing in the air, as Naruto had managed to trip down the last few steps of the stairs and bring Kiba down with him in the process. Naruto was limping slightly and Kiba had a couple of small bruises on his face and an aching elbow, but as it was nothing serious, neither took the others' amusement to their heart.

"You better not rush with that leg, Naruto," Hinata said to the blond who was desperately trying to keep his balance with his left arm around her shoulder. The blond grinned and gained a gentle smack on his head from the girl. "Seriously, if you rush with it, you'll be in bed for a week."

Kiba listened to the conversation behind him, walking next to Shino, his hands in his pockets and the gentle autumn wind caressing his slightly aching cheeks. It had gotten a bit chilly already, but it was nothing the group couldn't handle.

"Kiba, I wish you luck," Shino said to his comrade and poked him in the arm. Kiba started, but before he could say anything, Shino continued, "I have my ways. Really though, I hope it works out."

Kiba smiled at his encouragement, yet he couldn't help but feel insecure about it all. Nothing was set – he didn't even know her real feelings! For all he knew the kiss could've been completely meaningless.

"That might be a bit early, but thanks," he said, and Shino smiled visibly before stopping.

"As said – I have my ways," he said with a rare, playful smile on his lips as he turned to Hinata and Naruto, who were noticeably behind them. "I'll take Naruto from now, we live in the same direction."

Before Naruto or Hinata could react properly, Shino had picked the blond up on his arms and all that could be heard was "_I'm not a girl!"_ as the injured boy was carried home.

Hinata's eyes met Kiba's and immediately darted elsewhere, and the two resumed walking, this time the Hyuga compound as their destination. After several minutes of silence Kiba cleared his throat and swallowed hard. "So… about last night."

Hinata could feel her cheeks burning at the memory, so she covered her face with her hands. "Oh my god, I'm so sorry about that! I don't know what got to me," she cried out and kicked the ground with the tips of her sandals. Kiba looked at her confusedly, unsure of what kind of feelings she was hiding. Would his upcoming words cause more tension between them, or would he get a positive response from her?

"No, I… think I liked it," he forced out of his throat and embarrassedly looked away as Hinata let her hands drop slowly. He could feel her stare on his face, and something inside of him insisted on him to continue. "And I think I also… like _you_."

Hinata seized walking and stared at Kiba's back as he took a few more steps before realizing that she wasn't next to him anymore. The brunet turned around and nervously observed the Hyuga, who began walking towards him with an unreadable expression. Before he was able to say or do anything, he felt his back meet with the wooden fence surrounding the Hyuga compound as Hinata pushed him against it. Kiba's heart skipped a few beats when he felt Hinata's soft lips experimentally on his.

Her hands held the collar of his shirt in a tight grip as she fought the urge to dash away, but the grip loosened remarkably when she felt Kiba reply to the kiss and his hands falling to her waist. Hinata broke the kiss and looked into Kiba's dark eyes curiously. They were both rather flushed and uncharacteristically shy, but neither seemed to mind. Kiba smiled gently at the shorter girl and held her close to himself, letting out a heavy sigh.

"I take that as an 'I like you too'," he said quietly and got a nod from the girl. Grinning, Kiba played with her tied-up hair and whispered, "Would you mind saying it aloud?"

Hinata rested her chin on Kiba's strong shoulder and calmed herself down enough to be able to spell a word, hopefully without a stutter. "I l-like you too." And so she mentally cursed herself. Kiba just smiled and stroked Hinata's back gently.

"I believe this is already the second time you've stuttered in my presence, Hyuga," the brunet teased the red-faced girl who only managed to bite her lip; she didn't trust her vocal chords all that much. "It's cute."

Hinata grumbled to herself and instead of reacting to Kiba's words in any proper way, she only pulled him down to another kiss, this time a lot less experimenting and a lot more confident. Kiba closed his eyes and returned the kiss, opening his lips a bit when he felt Hinata's tongue trying to pry its way through them. He wasn't too sure of how he felt about Hinata taking charge, but in the end he didn't really mind.

The kiss was broken as the two gasped for air, and Hinata opened her mouth to speak, but ended up breathing heavily for a couple of times before she was able to do so. "The festival… next week… let's go together?" Kiba nodded and softly pushed Hinata away just enough for him to move away from the fence.

"Wouldn't go with anyone else," the brunette said with a grin and took Hinata's smaller hand into his own. He stroked the pale skin with his thumb and smiled at the way their hands seemed to fit each other perfectly. Hinata observed his face silently. She could hear the way her heart beat against her ribcage, and secretly enjoyed seeing the blush on Kiba's cheeks – it was quite a rare occurrence, after all.

"I should go," Hinata whispered. She didn't really want to, but she was aware of the fact that if any other Hyuga saw them, there would be no end to the lectures from her father. Kiba nodded and put his arms around her shoulders as Hinata wrapped her arms around his torso and lay her head against his chest.

"Good night." Kiba gave a kiss to the top of Hinata's head, after which she pressed her lips just by his ear and backed away with a grin on her face right before she dashed into the compound.

Kiba stood there, wishing that the girl wasn't always in such a rush away from him, with his ear burning and his heart beating fast. There were practically no words to express his feelings; in a way he felt just as confused as the night before. Hinata reminded him of both an open book and an encrypted message no one could read. He wasn't sure of what he was about to get himself into, but he could hardly wait to see.

* * *

Hinata had a hard time falling asleep once again. A rather big part of her wanted nothing but to tell everything to Ino and Sakura, yet another part of her really wanted to be in Kiba's company, exploring the new relationship between them. She wasn't sure of what they would become, but she knew that by now they weren't just friends.

_'__Friends don't want to rip clothes off of one another,'_ she thought in embarrassment and pulled the covers over her face as if to hide from everyone else, despite her room being empty of other people. When she had rested her cheek to Kiba's chest, she had not only heard the way his heart beat, but also felt the abs underneath the rather thin long-sleeved shirt that he had been wearing. And god, did she want to feel the muscles up.

She couldn't help but wonder if the brunette had experienced any kind of similar feelings, but the thought made her feel even more embarrassed. Even though she wasn't exactly discontent with her body, she had a hard time imagining anyone to be interested in it. Although… she did remember his words from the previous night.

_"__You've… matured."_

She blushed at the memory, but at the same time she felt quite happy – it was almost safe to say that Kiba saw her as a woman. And, well, she saw him as a man, painfully much so.

Knowing that her feelings were reciprocated gave Hinata a reason to think about said feelings, though. She hadn't realized how much she had longed to hear the words from Kiba's mouth until she had actually heard them; hadn't realized how much she had ached for his lips on hers until she had actually kissed him. Somehow she had a feeling that the collection of feelings she had for Kiba weren't new, that their roots were far in the past. Just how far, she didn't know.

* * *

Kiba sat on the windowsill of his room and eyed the surroundings of his house. Luckily to him, they lived on top of a small hill, which gave him a view over quite a bit of Konoha – including the Hyuga compound. The lights went off in the building complex one at a time until all of the cottages were dark, which gained a sigh from the brunet as he saw it better to go to bed.

He turned around and let his legs hang from the windowsill as he stroked Akamaru absent-mindedly.

"I think Shikamaru has a point with the whole 'women are troublesome' mantra," he said quietly and watched the dog stir in his sleep. Kiba sighed. "I mean, Hinata's not troublesome, but she can be hard to read."

He got off the windowsill and took a comfortable position on his bed instead. He crossed his arms behind the back of his head and gazed at his roof, the image of a grinning Hinata slowly finding its way to his vision. He could still feel her lips near his ear, and the thought still made him tingle everywhere. Having hugged her tighter than he could recall ever doing, he had felt her breasts against the lower part of his chest, which had been all but easy to ignore.

Shaking his head, Kiba forced the thought out of his head, as hard as it was to do. If he let things go at their own pace, maybe, just maybe, he wouldn't have to be satisfied with only thinking about things, but to experience them.

Thinking about the fact that he wasn't alone with the warm feelings he had towards the Hyuga made him feel warm and fuzzy inside, which, as unmanly as it made him feel, was actually really nice. He couldn't wait to see how things would proceed from there on.

He turned to his left side and placed his right arm lazily to rest on top of Akamaru. He fell asleep slowly, with his last thoughts flying around the upcoming festival.


	5. Chapter 5: Step by Step

**A/N: I don't own Naruto.**

* * *

The week until the big festival was rather uneventful for both Kiba and Hinata. They had a six-day escort mission with Chouji, to Sunagakure and back, which was the primary reason to the lack of deeper communication between the two; all was kept professional and friendly, as more would've felt inappropriate.

They didn't manage to hide everything, though – it took two days for Chouji to ask what was going on between them, to which Kiba had been about to say a high-pitched "Nothing, nothing!", but was unable to do so as Hinata had merely grinned and confidently said: "A lot of things." Chouji had smiled and congratulated the two, although Kiba was sure he'd heard him hiss something along the lines of "Dammit, I owe Shikamaru a grand."

The mission itself was smooth, if a couple of bandit encounters weren't counted. Seeing as the client was saved from any harm, though, everyone was happy and soon a bit richer. When the trio left Sunagakure, they stumbled across the Suna siblings who had been invited to the festival by Tsunade, and thus continued the trip with the six of them, as odd as the group was. Hinata was quick to snatch Temari to herself as she had a lot of questions she wanted to ask regarding Shikamaru, and Kiba found comfort on Akamaru's back as the presence of the boys of Suna was everything but comfortable to him.

Chouji offered Kankurou some of his potato chips and the older man took some gratefully, although he was a bit skeptical of their taste. He was happy to find out that they were actually quite tasty. Meanwhile, Gaara walked between his brother and Akamaru, who carried Kiba, in silence.

"So, what's the deal with you and our Shikamaru? Is there love in the air?" Hinata inquired from Temari excitedly, trying her best to keep her voice low. She saw a blush creep its way to Temari's usually confident and indifferent face and cheerfully waited for an answer. The blonde was doing her best to come up with an answer that would be as close to the truth as was possible, yet would also satisfy any curiosity that the Hyuga had at the moment. Easier said than done.

"No, no, God, nothing like that! But… I guess there's something about him that really gets me, you know? I don't even get it myself, I mean, he's not exactly my type, and—"

"I get it, I get it, you don't have to prove yourself," Hinata smiled at the older woman and patted her shoulder comfortingly. "If it helps, I happen to know that you've managed to impress him as well. And better yet, talking about it makes him _blush_."

Temari couldn't help smiling at Hinata's implication that Shikamaru wasn't exactly prone to blushing, which she actually knew to be a fact, too. Stretching contently, the blonde then eyed the shorter woman, whose gaze was aimed at the right side of the group of boys in front of them, yet she had some difficulties in differentiating whether she was eyeing her little brother or the Inuzuka.

"So, Hinata… are you aiming those bedroom eyes of yours at my little brother, which would force me to give you many difficult questions, or at the dog-boy, which would force me to give you tips?"

Hinata was startled and shook her head before looking at Temari as if she had just said aloud the deepest secret ever. "I'm—you—what—" The blonde laughed heartily at the blush that had quickly taken over Hinata's pale face.

"Yes, honey, it _is_ that obvious," she said and winked, which caused Hinata to fiddle with the hem of her black t-shirt. "So, my turn – how serious is it?"

Swallowing, Hinata collected herself and forced the embarrassment out of the way. "It's not all that serious, yet anyway. Hopefully in the future, though…" She trailed off and broke into a fond smile as she saw Kiba try to stir up a conversation with the Kazekage, as awkward as it seemed. Temari nodded approvingly and returned the earlier pat on her shoulder.

"You'll be happy to know that underneath that shirt is a very nicely built body," Temari whispered at Hinata's sensitive ear and caused it to turn red along with her cheeks. Hinata nodded quickly and was about to ask about how Temari knew that, and to curse her for returning her thoughts to Kiba's body, but found herself unable to retort. She recollected herself and smiled deviously as she remembered Temari's little weakness, too.

"And_ you_ will be happy to know that Shikamaru doesn't find _everything_ troublesome, quite the contrary," Hinata whispered and giggled at the way Temari's face quickly reddened. "We're even, let's let the subject go." Temari had never agreed with the Hyuga as much as she did right then.

The three days the group spent on the trip back to Konoha was nearly as uneventful as the way to Suna, as the only striking thing about it was that Kiba and Gaara seemed to get along a bit better, whereas Kankurou still had trouble accustoming to being near Akamaru – or Kiba for that matter; weren't they practically the same thing? The puppeteer got well along with Hinata, though, as she seemed to match his mentality more than Chouji or Kiba, as much as it surprised him. Temari had spoken to Kiba a few times about general things, making a few inquiries regarding the festival and accommodation. Gaara was unimpressed as Chouji offered him a potato chip, but accepted a few anyway. _Manners before anything_, he reminded himself. It wasn't that he didn't like Chouji, he was actually really nice, but Gaara knew that he wasn't the best match for such a cheerful person.

When the group arrived at the gates of Konoha, they were greeted by Shikamaru, who was to escort the siblings to meet Tsunade and to unpack their few belongings in the inn. Hinata gave Temari a wink and showed her a thumbs-up, only to get a playful middle finger back at her. She stifled her laughter and walked next to Kiba and Akamaru as they all proceeded to reach the Hokage tower – the Suna siblings to clear things up and the other three shinobi to register and complete the mission.

Tsunade happily greeted the bunch and handed the three their bits of money before dismissing them and continued with the kazekage and his siblings, with Shikamaru leaning against the wall as he waited for the small meeting to be done so that he could escort them to the inn and possibly hang out with them for a while. Wouldn't hurt, would it?

Chouji was quick to say goodbye to Kiba and Hinata as soon as they entered the sunny streets of Konoha, which left the remaining two, and Akamaru, a bit stunned. Shrugging it off, though, the trio then began walking through the streets where some festival decoration was already being put up.

"I don't know about you, but I could use something to eat?" Hinata said and held her grumbling stomach slightly embarrassedly, which only got a snicker from Kiba, who suggested some barbeque. Hinata had no complaints.

Kiba was quick to eat, but Hinata could've sworn that he slipped practically every other piece of meat under the table to Akamaru. Squinting her eyes, she continued to chew on the juicy meat, relishing the delicious taste in her mouth.

"So, the festival tomorrow," Kiba started as he took another piece of meat from the grill and brought it to his lips. "Should I come pick you up, or do you want a secret meeting at the darkest corner of the festival area?"

Hinata snickered as she pondered. "As tempting as a secret meeting sounds, I think I'd like you to pick me up. Just to keep some traditions alive, you know."

Kiba nodded cheerfully and chewed on the meat hungrily – maybe it wasn't such a good idea to feed Akamaru simultaneously, after all. He felt like he had barely gotten anything to eat. Hinata on the other hand was feeling rather full and thus contently leaned against the soft back of her seat with a yawn. She had been increasingly tired for the whole mission, and now that the stress was over it all hit her harder than she had expected.

"I think I'll eat more at home, I can't afford any more. Do you still want to get somethi—" Kiba's voice went silent when he turned all of his attention to Hinata and the steady, sleepy breathing coming from her side of the table. He melted into a soft smile as he came to the conclusion that it was probably the best for them to return to their homes. Therefore he paid for their meal, making sure that he was paying a bit more than the Hyuga was, and picked her up for the three of them to be able to exit the restaurant.

He hopped on Akamaru's back and let Hinata slide down enough for her to sit on Akamaru and secured his arms around her to prevent her from falling as the dog began walking, careful not to speed up too much. Kiba's eyes moved between their surroundings and Hinata's tired face, and especially her nose which wrinkled a bit in her sleep. He rested his chin on her head which he held to his chest an eagerly breathed in the surprisingly fresh scent of her hair – it was far fresher than he would've expected it to be after six days out of their home village. Sure, there were rivers that Hinata gladly took advantage of, but even so, it amazed him greatly.

When Akamaru reached the gate to the Hyuga compound, Kiba was unsure of how to proceed. He didn't dare to wake Hinata up, but he didn't have the nerve to enter the unknown building complex, either. Praying for a sign, he was glad to see the silhouette of Hinata's cousin approaching them from the street.

"Ah, Neji! Hinata's a little tired, would you mind taking her in?" Kiba asked hopefully as he slowly got down from Akamaru's back and walked to the brunette. Neji didn't answer, and instead stared at his sleeping cousin before meeting Kiba's eyes with an uninterested look.

"Just wake her up? It won't kill her, I'm quite sure," he said dryly and turned his back to the two of them, but was quickly stopped by Kiba's hand on his shoulder.

"You're her cousin, would it really be that terrible to take her in?" Kiba asked impatiently, anything but happy with Neji – not that he would've ever gotten along with him, to be honest. Neji sighed and held out his arms for Kiba to hand Hinata onto. "_Thank you._"

Neji merely shrugged as he left the Inuzuka without another word, which caused him to curse silently as he got back on Akamaru's back.

"For such a lovely girl she's got quite stuck-up relatives, huh," he said to Akamaru angrily and quickly got a bark back. "You think so too? Honestly, if I meet another nice Hyuga I just might eat my forehead protector. No, Akamaru, you won't be able to force me do so if that actually happens."

Despite not feeling all that tired when he was taking Hinata home, Kiba was still fast asleep as soon as his back met his mattress. Akamaru sighed and curled up next to his owner, content with his life when he felt Kiba's sleepy arm on his side, unconsciously stroking him. The sleepy strokes were the best; those were what drove Akamaru on.

When Kiba woke up he was shocked to see that it was already well past noon – four to be exact – and it wasn't too long until the beginning of the festival. He cursed aloud and sprang out of his bed straight into the shower, during which he planned the hour or so that he had until he had to appear by the Hyuga gate. Into that hour he had to somehow magically fit Akamaru's walk, a quick breakfast, dressing up nicely and making sure that he also _looked_ nice. Then again, if his sister happened to be home, as rare as it was, perhaps she could help…

The brunette finished his shower in a few quick minutes and ran downstairs with a towel wrapper around his waist, yelling for his sister. Hana looked up from the newspaper and eyed her brother amusedly.

"Morning, sleepyhead."

Kiba was quick to propose to Hana that she would take Akamaru for a walk, to which she, surprisingly, complied and was out of the house with the dog in record time. Stunned, Kiba stood in the kitchen for a moment before he began preparing himself some breakfast. He had been awake for about seven minutes and everything felt weird already.

Hinata sat by her wall mirror on a small stool and tried to figure out how to put her hair. She was already in her light-colored yukata which was decorated with birds and flowers, and the only problem she had to fix was her hair. Oh, the cursed hair – it didn't look fitting down, up, in different kind of hairdos… She was helpless, at least until she saw a packet of decorated pins lying on her bureau. Despite not being the most familiar with doing magic with hair, she somehow managed to create a rather good-looking arrangement which held her hair up at the back of her head, showing her neck in an elegant way while also looking quite nice. The pins had lavender-colored beads in them, and Hinata thought that they looked really good with her similarly colored yukata and dark hair.

When the dressed-up Hinata entered the main yard of the Hyuga compound, the sky had already begun to dim down, and the bright lights here and there were taking care of the lighting instead. She watched as the rest of her family left in small groups, all dressed in different kinds of yukatas of similar color schemes, and only moved when she was sure that everyone had left. She walked to the gate and was glad to see Kiba right next to it with a lily in his hand – a lily she was sure he had just picked.

"You look amazing," Kiba breathed in awe and twisted the lily so that he had the flower and just a bit of the stem between his fingers. He stepped closer to his date and gently put it behind her ear, happy with his choice of flower.

"You don't look too bad yourself," Hinata smiled at him and wrapped her arm around his, ready to go. Kiba merely grinned and began walking with the girl by his side to the festival area through the emptier side streets. During the walk Hinata let her eyes wander from the dim lights to Kiba's neat, gray-brown yukata, a piece of clothing she hadn't yet seen him wear despite all the years they had known each other. And man, did she like what she saw.

The couple arrived at the actual festival area and Hinata could sense the way Kiba stiffened and breathed a bit more sharply than he usually did. She smiled at him and stroked his arm reassuringly. "No need to be nervous, Kiba-kun. It's not like you'll be eaten."

Kiba winced slightly and looked around in search for any potential other Hyugas. "I wouldn't be so sure… Your family is _scary_, woman." Kiba was glad that his shriek was mostly muffled by the bustling street, but he could see from Hinata's amused expression that at least she had heard it. She shrugged with a smile, unable to deny the claim.

"And they will be even scarier if you don't relax," she said softly (which was the first time Kiba actually found her softer voice appealing) and leaned her head against his shoulder. "Also, I'd like to go goldfish-scooping." Kiba took the hint and began looking for the goldfish-scooping booth, quickly locating it.

After Hinata had miserably lost the scooping five times in a row, Kiba had sighed and tried it himself. After two tries he had succeeded and proudly handed Hinata the plastic bag which contained a fine amount of water and a goldfish moving about. Hinata's face lit up as she smiled and excitedly thanked Kiba. In that moment he understood just how happy he was to make her happy, and he found the feeling quite pleasing in all its oddity. He had never expected that making someone smile could make you feel that good.

The next four hours that the two spent in the festival was filled with laughter and getting used to being intimate in a sense that they hadn't before; holding hands, occasionally unnecessarily touching the other one, stealing a few quick kisses every now and then. It was all new and so, so exciting. They had known each other long enough to feel comfortable with each other, even if there were still a few blank spots in their knowledge regarding the other one. Kiba knew close to nothing about Hinata's family and she knew close to nothing about what drove Kiba mad, even though she had a few suspicions already.

They ate, stopped by some stands to look at what they had to sell, bought a bit of small things from here and there and spoke with their friends whenever they encountered them. Hinata was happy to see Temari walking around with Shikamaru, whereas Shino approvingly nodded at Kiba when he saw the couple passing by.

"Good job Kiba, you manned up," Shikamaru said matter-of-factly as he and Temari approached the two. "And I suppose I have to thank you for this?" He showed Hinata his and Temari's linked hands, which caused Hinata to beam with joy, and even Temari broke into a smile.

"Yes!" Hinata exclaimed and hugged the blonde, who awkwardly returned the gesture. Shikamaru took a step closer to Kiba, muttering the usual _'Women…'_ Kiba merely chuckled and shrugged – he couldn't complain, really. As the girls kept on going about what had happened during the past twenty-four hours, Kiba and Shikamaru saw it better to leave them alone for a while.

Naruto sat at the ramen booth and pouted as he watched the scene of three of his friends, and Temari. He knew that he had given Kiba his blessing, not that he actually found his opinion relevant in Kiba and Hinata's relationship, but he couldn't deny the small sting he felt in his chest. It didn't help that Hinata was at her prettiest that night, hair done nicely and a beautiful yukata falling down her body. The blond sighed and returned to his meal, letting his eyes observe the other people attending the festival. The game might've been over regarding the Hyuga, but there were plenty of fish in the sea – surely there would be someone that would take a liking to him despite the certain level of shyness that he possessed. He just had to stay positive.

"Man, it's so weird to see you and Hinata like that," Shikamaru said to Kiba as he brought the stick with dumplings to his mouth. The short-haired kept his face straight and raised his left eyebrow – as if Shikamaru and Temari were a regular sight. "Ah, right."

"Nah, you do have a point," Kiba sighed and took a dumpling into his mouth, chewed it slowly and swallowed. "It feels so natural and odd at the same time, like… ten years after getting to know her and I'm allowed to – somehow even _supposed_ to – touch her and hold her and all that stuff."

"And? _Please_ don't tell me you have butterflies and all that crap." Kiba looked away from Shikamaru and shrugged, muttering a quiet _"maybe"_. Shikamaru held his forehead and shook his head. "God, you're so the new kid at the playground."

Kiba sneered. "Psh, like Temari didn't give you any. You're a lot softer than you act, idiot, practically anyone can see it." Pouting, Shikamaru let the subject go as he had once again managed to be the pot calling the kettle. He felt like that was all he had done lately.

Soon after the two had eaten the dumplings, the girls re-joined them, and it didn't take too long for the couples to drift apart. Kiba looked at the happy-looking Hyuga who was holding his arm, and grinned widely as Hinata made a suggestion. "Let's go somewhere quieter."

They found a quieter place at the edge of the village, where they found a couple of flat rocks to sit on. The noises of the festival could barely reach them, whereas the more positive features of the event didn't miss them – the delicious smells of food and the bright lights did reach them in just the perfect way.

Kiba sat down and Hinata came close to him, enclosing herself in his arms and letting her head rest on his shoulder. She put the plastic bag on the flat rock Kiba was sitting on and let out a content sigh. The festival had been just as great as she had thought it to be, and the two had successfully managed to avoid any contact with any other Hyugas, which was always a plus.

"I hate to ruin the moment, but…" Kiba started uncertainly as he let his hand stroke Hinata's back gently and waited for the girl to give him the permission to go on – she didn't mind. "I… was wondering when you'd want to spill those secrets of yours. I hear that honesty is the key to a healthy relationship, and to be honest I'm kind of worried about you, and—"

Hinata silenced him with a soft kiss that caused his stomach to flip over, but he was relieved to know that at least she didn't seem, well, too upset about the question. When Hinata pulled away she let out a sigh and took a seat next to Kiba before taking his hand into hers. Kiba observed carefully as the dark-haired was visibly collecting herself, breathing deeply and preparing herself mentally.

"Where do I start?" she wondered, and sounded so lost that Kiba slightly regretted his question. Then again, he knew that he wanted answers – Hinata's mind had always been a mystery to him, and he thought that it was about time for it to slowly start changing.

"Wherever you want. Your childhood, your family… somewhere."

Hinata drew a deep breath. She had never quite put the thoughts into words before, and she found it hard to do it for the first time.

And she still didn't know where to start.

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**A/N: My first cliffhanger-ish ending! Still practicing, although this might not happen again ... (un)fortunately? As this is actually only a half of the chapter I had first**** written****, the next chapter should be up rather soon. :3 Reviews are appreciated~**


	6. Chapter 6: Drawing the Line

**A/N: And so the plot thickens. :3 I don't own Naruto.**

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Hinata fidgeted for a while, but Kiba waited patiently for her to finally open her mouth.

"Well, umm… I'm sure you've heard me being called the '_disgrace of the Hyuga clan_'?" Hinata inquired and actually wanted to know whether he had heard it or not. She was betting on a yes, but…

"Actually, no. My mom has been a lot gentler with her words and has only called you _'bad influence.'_" Kiba stroked Hinata's hand with his thumb and urged her to go on. She chuckled and nodded.

"Anyway, I haven't been popular within my clan, ever. When my mother was still alive I could expect visibly friendly treatment, but when I was six, she passed away, and all of the clan turned against me. Why was I not as calm and collected as any other Hyuga – why was I not as graceful as my mother and so on. I think most of it all was, and is, caused by my resemblance of her, but it was still too much for a six-year-old. When I understood that there was nothing I could do to make them acknowledge me, I sort of gave up."

Kiba felt sad seeing the painful expression on Hinata's face, but at the same time he sensed that telling these things made her feel a bit easier. He could smell the nervousness slowly fade away as she poured her heart out, the earlier hesitation washing away with each word.

"But then, when I befriended Ino and Sakura and got more reserved, I saw a small change in the atmosphere at home. My father would occasionally greet me with a small smile, and even Neji-nii-san sometimes spoke to me, once he even agreed to spar with me. But it didn't feel right, you know. I didn't feel like myself – it was as you said around that time, that wasn't me. And now that I've returned to my more natural self, the treatment I get is as cold as ever. It… it hurts not to be accepted the way you are in your own freaking home."

Tears were starting to form in her eyes as she gritted her teeth.

"I hate being a Hyuga – there's nothing but expectation after expectation to be le met, and you have to be so damn calm and cold all the time and I can't handle it! It's just not fair."

Kiba took the girl into his arms and rocked her gently, holding her close as she let a couple of angry tears fall down her cheeks. As terrible as it felt to see her so hurt, Kiba was glad that she had opened up to him. For once he understood the sadness she had been hiding so often, and he could barely imagine how it felt to feel unwanted in your own home, especially as Hinata spent a remarkable amount of time there. He was sure that she'd snuck out at times, but he was also well aware of the fact that she had a strict curfew.

Suddenly he recalled the nightly moment from over ten years back – the way she had longingly peeked into the family restaurant and then more or less played it off as a joke. He couldn't even comprehend how hurt she must have felt then, being left out of family events on top of constant ignoring.

"It's okay, Hinata, it's okay," Kiba whispered with a choky voice and rested his chin on Hinata's slightly shaking head. She held the brunette as close as she could from the position as she tried to steady her breath. He swallowed the uneasy feeling in his throat and breathed out.

"I'm… I don't feel like going home. Do you think I could sleep over at your place?" Hinata asked quietly, fidgeting so that she could look up at Kiba's face. He smiled more gently than he usually did and touched her nose with his.

"It should be alright." Hinata smiled back at him and leaned up to kiss his upper lip, then the corner of his mouth, and finally fully on the lips. Hinata placed her hands on Kiba's chest and melted into the kiss, her cheeks wet from her tears. The kiss was gentle and soft, and Hinata could've stayed just there for many more moments than she actually did.

In silence the two stood up and began walking to Kiba's place hand in hand. A few words were exchanged during the trip, but since the route they took was quiet, they didn't want to ruin it. And after all, it wasn't like their silences were awkward, quite the opposite – they had the most comfortable silences they could imagine. Besides, it was a lot more romantic to just listen to the grasshoppers and birds – why ruin it?

Kiba opened the door to his house and let the indigo-haired girl in. Secretly he was nervous about his mother's reaction, as he knew well that she didn't think of Hinata all that fondly, but to his luck she wasn't home. Hana, however, poked her head out from her study and greeted the two with a smile.

"Did you two have fun?" she smiled gently and stroked Akamaru, who walked to the door as well. Hana would've wanted to go to the festival, but since she had a lot to do, she couldn't. She had cursed it when she had looked at the brightly lit center of Konoha, but had been forced to accept her uneventful evening.

"We did, and uh, Hinata's staying over for the night. Could you keep it from mom?" Kiba begged his sister, his hand still locked with Hinata's. Hana raised her eyebrows a couple of times before agreeing, as she knew how their mother could be. As much as she thought about the best of her children, Hana had long ago noticed that she could, often, be wrong. And in this case, Hana took her brother's side without a second thought.

"It's a secret, then," the brunette said with a wink, her forefinger in front of her lips as a sign. Hinata and Kiba grinned and thanked her before moving upstairs with Akamaru. The dog greeted the two happily, barking cheerfully and wagging his tail.

Kiba shut the door behind them, while Hinata walked slowly around his room.

"So this is where you live," she said fascinatedly as she let her eyes wander around the TV and game console, a couple of posters on the wall, the unmade bed and every other little detail in the room. Kiba's eyes, however, were very much locked on the girl instead.

"I'm sorry that it's not as neat as it could be, I wasn't expecting you to pop over," Kiba said, but they both knew that he didn't mean what he said. Kiba wasn't one to care much about how he appeared to others, and Hinata wasn't one to judge someone, much less so if it was about a good friend of hers. Besides, it wasn't like Kiba's room was a complete mess – it just looked like a normal room. Akamaru found his place on Kiba's bed and exhaled loudly before closing his eyes.

Hinata turned to face Kiba with a smile on her lips. "Do you have some clothes I could borrow? I don't really fancy sleeping in this yukata."

Kiba nodded, and it didn't take long for Hinata to have a t-shirt and sweatpants in her arms.

"Thanks. And if you don't mind, I'd like a bit of… privacy," she said with a hint of shyness by the end of her sentence, which made Kiba let out a small laugh.

"Of course, or course," he hummed and sat on his bed next to Akamaru, gazing out of the window instead, only to notice that since it was dark outside and somewhat lit inside, the window worked pretty much as a mirror. He saw Hinata slip her yukata off her shoulders and let it fall to the floor, exposing her underwear-clad body in all its gorgeousness.

Kiba held his breath and quickly darted his eyes elsewhere, which this time was Akamaru. He stroked the dog's fur nearly frantically, trying to erase the image of Hinata's curves from his mind. Although what he had seen was a back-view – or exclusively _due to_ that – he was getting somewhat excited, and that was the last thing he wanted to do. He was attracted to Hinata, painfully much so, but he didn't want to move that fast. He wanted to get to know her better in the romance field before giving in to the feelings of lust, and he also wanted to know that she felt similarly about him.

Hinata pulled the sweatpants up and sighed contently, feeling a lot more comfortable. She folded her yukata neatly and put it on the floor, glancing at herself from the mirror a few times before turning to Kiba.

"You can turn around now, Kiba-kun."

Kiba swallowed and turned around, stunned by the sight. Never had he ever thought that one day he'd see a girl wear his clothes, and that she would look that damn good in them. Both of the pieces of clothing were noticeably too big for Hinata, but the pants were adjustable and the t-shirt looked quite comfortable on the girl, even though it mostly looked like a bag that only showed that she had breasts – it fell down from them, not revealing any other kind of curves he now knew she had.

"What?" Hinata asked timidly when Kiba had stared at her for at least a full minute. The boy merely shook his head and broke into a smile.

"Those look a lot better on you than they do on me," he grinned and gave Hinata a thumbs-up. The dark-haired blushed lightly and ignored the boy, beginning to take the pins off her hair instead. Kiba observed as her hair slowly began to fall down until it was completely free. Hinata put the pile of pins on top of her folded yukata and eyed Kiba playfully.

"How about a match of Tekken?" she suggested and pointed at the lonely game console. Kiba shrugged and stood up, setting the game and equipment up. Before he sat down next to Hinata on the floor, though, he changed his yukata into a mesh shirt he used as a nightshirt and another pair of sweatpants. Hinata hadn't even tried to keep her eyes off his muscular back, and instead appreciated it with every fiber of her body. The way his muscles moved under his tanned skin when he pulled the shirt on… Hinata could've sighed dreamily, which she nearly did.

Now with a controller in his hands, sitting next to Hinata against his bed, Kiba started the game. "You're going down."

"Not if it's up to me," Hinata retorted and began feverishly attacking the character she'd chosen for Kiba while he had dressed up. The brunet responded with just as feverish attacks on her character, occasionally groaning as Hinata managed to bring him down and keep him there.

The two agreed on a game of five – whoever won five matches would be the winner, and would therefore be the one sleeping on the bed. The loser would have a bed made on the floor, which didn't quite appeal to either one.

Four-four and both of them were pumped up for the last match, which would decide where they'd sleep. They did their best, occasionally trying to distract the other one with a joke or something else, including a squeeze on their thigh, but it didn't work. But finally…

"Yes! I won!"

Hinata had a hard time holding the game controller in her hands as she stared at the TV.

"Hinata 4 – 5 Kiba"

She let her head hang down, accepting her defeat. Kiba had already put his controller on the floor and was now standing and jumping in excitement. Hinata pouted and stared at the boy.

"So you're making a lady sleep on the cold, hard floor?" she asked with the best puppy-look she could do, but Kiba only snickered with a nod.

"Hell yeah I am!" he exclaimed and walked to his closet in order to get a futon out. Hinata followed him with her eyes and stood up as well, helping him to make her a bed. Akamaru observed the two, mentally rolling his eyes – Kiba seriously had no eye for what to do with a girl. Even _he_ was aware that women loved being pampered and cared for, yet there his companion was, taking the soft bed to himself and making a girl sleep on the floor.

The bed was made rather quickly and so Hinata sat down on the futon with her legs crossed, whereas Kiba sat on the edge of his bed and looked down at the girl with a smile playing on his lips. "How does it feel to be the loser for once?"

Hinata chuckled and hit his leg with her fist gently enough for it not to hurt. "Very good, thank you." Kiba smirked back and lay down on his bed after he had managed to get Akamaru to move enough. While he got under his quilt, Hinata walked to the door and shut the lights, then returned to her futon and got in it, her eyes locked on the roof.

Silence took over Kiba's room for several minutes, but both of them knew that neither was asleep. Hinata moved her eyes from the roof to Kiba's profile and bit her lip as she contemplated on whether or not she should open her mouth. Being Hinata, however, she decided to do it.

"Um, Kiba-kun?" she asked, as if to make sure that the brunet was awake. He let out a mumble and she smiled. "Can I come there? It really is a bit cold here."

Kiba didn't say a word – he merely raised his quilt so that Hinata could sneak underneath it, which was exactly what the indigo-haired girl did; she stood up, sat on the bed and swiftly got under the quilt, resting on her left side, and rested her head against Kiba's chest with her right hand sprawled over his stomach. She shivered a little, and Kiba could feel that she indeed was a bit cold. Therefore he pulled the quilt a bit higher and wrapped his left arm around the girl, stroking her a bit in an attempt to warm her up.

"Any better?" he asked quietly as he put his left hand on top of Hinata's right one, which was lying on his stomach. The girl nodded, although she hadn't paid attention to her coldness ever since she got on the bed, as all of her attention was on his heartbeat and warmth instead. Even through his shirt, Kiba's skin was practically burning against hers. Being so close to him made her warm up from the inside, anyway, and it would probably reach all of her body eventually, too. So, was she better? She was _a lot_ better.

She planted a kiss on Kiba's collarbone and laid her head back against his chest, exhaling deeply. "Goodnight, Kiba-kun."

Kiba stroked her arm a bit and whispered similar words. Akamaru was fast asleep on the other end of the bed, and was soon joined by the other two.

* * *

The brunette woke up slowly to the sensation of something tickling his neck. His initial reaction was to swipe the _bug_ away, but his eyes spread wide open as his hand was met with Hinata's soft cheek instead. The indigo-haired stared into his eyes with a mock hurt expression, pouting.

"That's not very nice," she said and playfully poked Kiba's neck with her index finger. The boy shook his head in amusement and turned to his right side before kissing her, now slightly on top of her. Hinata wrapped her arms around his neck and replied to the kiss, nibbling at his lower lip and deepening the kiss as Kiba allowed her tongue in.

His left hand grazed Hinata's side, slipped under her shirt and slowly moved up her abdomen. She breathed sharply and grabbed his wrist, bringing it back down when it had gone too high on her torso for her liking. Kiba chuckled and broke the kiss, staring at Hinata's tired, slightly glazed eyes. "Sorry about that."

Hinata merely shook her head and bit her lower lip, slightly uncomfortable by how much she was craving for his touch even though she didn't have the courage to let him touch her too intimately. She kissed him once more before pulling away and standing up.

"How about some breakfast?" she asked while stretching, which released a few cracks from her spine and neck. Akamaru was startled and turned to stare at her with his head tilted, but soon realized that nothing was wrong.

Kiba agreed to the suggestion and the two left downstairs as soon as Hinata had managed to make herself look more presentable, mostly by simply running her fingers through her hair and trying to make the clothes look less wrinkly.

The two walked downstairs with Akamaru behind them, and were met with a surprised Tsume in the kitchen. The Hyuga smiled at the woman, wishing her a good morning and standing awkwardly as she waited for Kiba to help her get some breakfast supplies out.

"Hinata stayed over the night," Kiba stated the obvious and got no reaction from Tsume. She had put the pieces together – were there really that many possibilities when her son came downstairs with a girl clad in his own clothes, at ten in the morning? If there were, Tsume was not aware. She swallowed her immediate distaste towards the girl, but as she felt like she had been getting too much on Kiba's bad side lately, she plastered the sweetest possible smile on her face.

"Did you enjoy the festival?" she asked, mostly aiming the question to the girl. Kiba proceeded to make himself and Hinata some toast, which left the girl socializing with his mother on her own. She stepped hesitantly closer to the older Inuzuka and continued her nervous smile.

"Yes, it was enjoyable. Both the food and the atmosphere were very great," Hinata said politely, hardly able to stop herself from bowing. Tsume relaxed a bit from her tenseness, proceeding to ask the girl about what they had done and so forth. During her explanation, the Hyuga was able to relax, too, which made Kiba feel more at ease. He was sure that if she just acted naturally, his mother would eventually soften.

And, well, Kiba knew his mother. The more she spoke with Hinata, the more she began re-thinking her own views on her. All this time she had lived with what she had heard of her, mostly from the Hyuga clan's perspective, but the truth was that as a person she was very amiable. She understood just how biased the view she had been fed by Hyuga Hiashi was, but she did understand that as likable as the young girl was, she still didn't quite fit her clan.

Tsume had never had such a pleasant, humorous conversation with a Hyuga before. She liked it a great deal, and Kiba was relieved to not see a trace of the previous detest in his mother's eyes. He wasn't sure if she had even looked at _him_ so gently in a long time! Kiba was incredibly glad to realize that finally, after all those years, his mother had seen the girl in a new light. The three ate together, although Tsume only consumed the rest of her coffee whereas the youngsters enjoyed a couple of toasts and tea.

An hour or so later Kiba saw Hinata off mid-way to the Hyuga compound, now dressed in her yukata again.

"Thanks for letting me stay over," the Hyuga said and tucked some of her hair behind her ear, although it was rather futile as the wind was quick to fly it back to freedom. Kiba shook his head to say that it was nothing, really; he had enjoyed it.

"Maybe we could do it again," he suggested and took Hinata's hand into his. The girl smiled and tip-toed ever-so-slightly to kiss him on the lips.

"Maybe," she said brightly, encasing herself in Kiba's arms for a moment. During the night she spent sleeping next to him, she had figured out that she really enjoyed physical contact with him – any kind. Hugs, holding hands, lying next to him, even just sitting next to each other, she enjoyed it all. It certainly helped that Kiba was warm for most of, if not _all_ the time, whereas she tended to be more on the cold side.

"I'll see you tomorrow," Kiba said and squeezed Hinata against himself. The two had agreed to only see the next day, as the girl was sure she'd have more than a few things to clear with her father, and Kiba had training scheduled with his sister. The hug was mutually broken, and Hinata began her journey home with a goodbye wave, and also got a wave back from Kiba. She wasn't sure if he had ever replied to her waves before, but at least he had now.

Kiba watched her walk into the distance and soon turned on his heels as well.

He arrived back home within a few minutes and met his mother outside of the house. She stood by Kuromaru and gave her son a serious look, which prompted him to ask about it.

"Do you know what you're getting yourself into by getting… _intimate_ with her?" she asked, eyes locked with her son's. Kiba nodded determinedly.

"I really like her, mom," he said, an odd feeling of satisfactory filling his body as he said the words out loud. Tsume hummed as a sign that she had understood.

"She's really amiable, Kiba. I wish you two all the best, but… Are you – is _she_ – aware of what Hiashi has been planning?"

Kiba felt his heart sink.

* * *

As Hinata reached her home, she was, just as she had expected, met with a very dissatisfied Hiashi. He sat on the porch, but stood up as soon as she entered the yard.

"Hinata!" His voice was forceful as he called his daughter, who winced and hurried her steps closer to the man. "Just _where_ have you been all night and morning?"

"I-I was at a friend's," she stuttered slightly, frowning as her father came closer. Usually he'd only raise his voice, but it was rare for him to actually approach her. Neji's chuckle was audible from behind the nearby tree.

"Do you possibly mean _boyfriend_, Hinata-sama?" the brunet suggested with a sharp tone, stepping away from the tree's shadow. Hiashi frowned and turned his eyes from his nephew to his daughter, who was slowly starting to blush from both embarrassment and nervousness.

"Boyfriend?" the man repeated the word that felt like toxic in his mouth. Hinata was still startled by her cousin's words, and was only able to nod. "Are you telling me that you, a member of the Main House, have spent the night at a boy's house?"

To this Hinata wouldn't even reply; instead she began running to her room and shut the door behind her, placing some heavier furniture to keep it shut, as difficult as it was. She cursed the sliding doors under her breath as she sat down on her bed, trying to swallow the anxiety growing inside of her.

She was perfectly aware of how she was expected to behave as a member of the Main House – as a member first in line for being the heir. By breaking the code and getting busted like she had, there was no guarantee of what her father would do. The countless times she had heard him say "Think of the light you're putting the clan in" were echoing in her mind.

A knock came on her door. Three knocks and a silence later she heard Hanabi's voice.

"Nee-chan, is everything okay?" the girl asked with a worried tone in her voice. Hinata sighed and walked to the door, opening it after moving the furniture a bit. She let her younger sister in and shut the door again. Hanabi, clad in her usual dark gear, took a seat on the bed.

"Why are you here?" Hinata asked. She and Hanabi didn't spend too much time together, and there was always a specific reason for her appearance, usually a rather negative one. Hanabi stared at her feet as she kicked them in the air.

"Dad, he's… thinking about branding you."

Hinata felt her body go numb and her ears go deaf. Hanabi raised her pale eyes slowly, giving her sister a sad look.

Hinata couldn't say anything. She wanted to; wanted to ask why, but the words wouldn't come out. Hanabi sensed this and stood up, walked to her sister and hugged her tightly.

No words were exchanged, but for the first time in ages, the two felt like sisters.

* * *

**A/N: I had not been planning that, but .. there it is. Reviews would be very appreciated! **


	7. Chapter 7: Pain of the past

**A/N: Finally got around to post this! This chapter is more about Hinata's past and her life as a member of the Hyuga clan, so more of a background to her and her home. :) The chapter is practically one big flashback, but since there are also parts from the present, the flahbacks are in _italics._ Hope you like it although not all that much actually happens! Also, I'm really sorry for making almost all of the Hyugas the bad guys, I actually like them a lot. ;; And as usual, I don't own Naruto.**

* * *

"Dad, he's… thinking about branding you."

Hanabi's words rang through Hinata's mind, accompanied by her memories of the mentioned family member of hers. He had never been much of a father to her, yet even so she couldn't see how he'd come to such a drastic solution. She had for the longest time acknowledged that she didn't quite fit in her clan, but to brand her… wasn't that too cruel?

As much as he had dismissed her as the less talented child of his, Hinata had never imagined that one day he'd want to go to such extreme.

She had simply not seen it coming.

* * *

_"Hinata-chan, slow down!"_

_The four-year-old Hinata stopped her skips and turned around to look at her mother. It was October and she was expecting her second child, much to Hinata's dismay. Having been able to enjoy her mother's undivided attention for nearly five years, it just didn't settle well with her stomach that soon she'd have to share her with another child._

_The pregnancy wasn't that far yet; Hyuga Sachiko was only three months in, and her condition wasn't all that visible due to her yukata, which hid a lot of her body build in general. She finally approached Hinata, who then grabbed her hand and started walking beside her._

_"Now that I can't run after you, you should always be where I can see you, alright?" the fair-skinned woman said with the soothing voice of hers, smiling gently at her pouting daughter. Hinata nodded, although she really wanted to protest to this. The baby wasn't even born yet it was affecting her life already, and she didn't quite like it._

_"When is it born?" Hinata asked, changing her steps to leaps. Her mother did the math in her head._

_"Early March, I believe. You'll be five by then, Hinata-chan."_

_The indigo-haired girl stopped her leaps and gazed at the ground. She'd soon turn five, and she was somewhat excited about it. Being as young as she was, every birthday was a thrill. However, she couldn't help but think of how there would only be three months after her birthday that she would be able to enjoy the somewhat undivided attention of her mother._

_"What if it's a boy? I don't want to live with a boy," Hinata whined and stopped moving, tugging at her mother's arm. She sighed softly and knelt down by her daughter._

_"If it's a boy, it's a boy. You already live with Neji-chan, don't you?" Hinata nodded with a pout and bit her lip. "Boy or girl, I'll love you two equally. However, you will always be my first-born, and no baby will take that title away from you."_

_Hinata's face lit up a bit and she smiled at her mother, hugging her tightly. "Never leave me?"_

_Her mother returned the hug and let out a soft laugh. "Why would I ever leave you?"_

_That was enough of an assurance to appease Hinata for the time being. She still had a good six months with her mother before the sibling would join, right?_

* * *

_The Hyuga main family had grown with a baby girl, Hanabi, in March. By June Hinata had finally accepted the baby as her sibling, which was a relief to everyone around her – it had been everything but pleasant when the young heir constantly avoided the infant or tried to get all the attention to herself._

_Everyone knew that the progress was mostly thanks to the mother of the two girls, as she was virtually the only one capable of affecting Hinata in any way. Even Hiashi, with all of his authority, didn't have anything on his daughter. She just wouldn't bend to his will. But when it came to her mother, she could easily be brought to her senses._

_Even though everyone was rejoicing over the birth of Hanabi, there was an unmentioned ghost flying over the clan – after delivering the healthy baby, the first mother's health had gradually began to worsen. First it had only been occasional dizziness that she would only dismiss as dehydration, but then the coughing and weakening muscles had stepped into the picture as well._

_Hiashi wasn't sure if he had ever felt as worried and anxious as he did when he watched his wife slowly wither away, unable to do anything about it. He'd spend hours sitting next to her bed, where she would sleep for most of the days._

_Sometimes Hinata would stop by, asking her father if her mother could come out to play with her. Time after time, Hiashi would tell her no, saying that her mother was too exhausted._

_And time after time, Hinata would pout and draw circles on the sand with the tips of her toes. "Mother only sleeps these days."_

_"She needs the rest, Hinata," Hiashi would reply with a sad look in his eyes, caressing his wife's cold hand. It wasn't anything unusual, really; his wife had had cold hands for as long as he could remember. She tended to be cold in general for most of the time, which had always worried Hiashi a bit, but he had grown used to it. That's just the way she was - warm at heart, but cold to touch._

_Hiashi had never been the father to spend a lot of time with Hinata. It had always been Sachiko, his beloved one. Now that she was bedridden, there was no one to play around with the exceptionally active and rash heir, and Hiashi felt no need to do so either._

_Hinata didn't learn about the seriousness of her mother's condition until the whole clan radiated depression in early December, right around her birthday. Her baby sister had grown into a healthy 9-month-old who already resembled her father a lot, and so far she had been very calm for a baby. Hiashi had several times noted that this one was completely different from Hinata. From the moment she had been born, she had already resembled a Hyuga._

_Hinata turned six. She was barely celebrated – a cake was shared, candles blown, and a few congratulations passed, but in every other way it was just another day in her life. No special treatment, no company; only a few presents were given to her, and she did her best to treasure those small memories of her birthday._

_"Father, why isn't mother here?" Hinata had asked that day before blowing off the candles. Hiashi had swallowed hard and held his other hand in a tight grip to control his voice._

_"She isn't feeling too well today."_

_Hinata lowered her eyes to the candles, shut her lids and blew._

'Please let mother get better.'

_Five days and three hours later Hyuga Sachiko had passed away. Hiashi was there to hear her last words and last breaths, and to hold her in his arms until the very last second._

_"Please… please take care of Hinata-chan."_

_A rare tear escaped from the clan head's pale eye as his wife exhaled heavily and fell limp in his arms._

_"You always ask for too much, dear…" he whispered and caressed her dark violet locks lovingly. During the nine months that her health had been an issue, it had never been discovered what was wrong. It gnawed at his heart that he couldn't do anything, and it made him even more desperate when he knew that he couldn't fulfill her last wish._

_He just didn't have what it would take to take care of such a child. He had been raised differently._

* * *

_Hanabi stood by the training field with a handful of flowers. Her mouth was open in awe as she observed her sister training with Kiba. Hanabi was only five, and even though her father was already coaching her with full determination and she had gotten pretty good already, she was still heavily amazed by her sister's abilities, partially because she never got to see them._

_Yet there she was, effectively defending herself against the gatsuuga Kiba and Akamaru launched at her. The two members of the Inuzuka clan ended up standing behind Hinata, who was panting heavily as she noticed her younger sister behind a tree._

_"Hanabi?" she asked as an invitation, and the young brunette walked to the two._

_"Nee-chan, you're… you're amazing," Hanabi said, her voice and eyes full of admiration, and broke into a wide smile. "I could never do that."_

_Hinata scratched behind her head and eyed Kiba quickly. "Nah, I'm sure Kiba didn't come at me with full force, so…"_

_"Hey, I never go easy on you!"_

_Hinata rolled her eyes and smiled at her sister. "What are you doing here anyway, Hanabi?"_

_The younger Hyuga gazed down at the flowers she had picked from their garden and offered them to Hinata. Poppies, orchids and sunflowers, all that Hinata liked._

_"I picked them for you," Hanabi said quietly as the flowers were taken by Hinata. "I hope you like the—"_

_"Hanabi-sama!"_

_Four heads were turned to the direction the voice came from, where they saw Hyuga Kou. Hanabi frowned as the older clan member approached her and took her hand into his, beginning to pull away._

_"You've got training," Kou said strictly to the five-year-old, who helplessly looked at her sister, who was holding the flowers in her hands._

_"But—nee-chan—"_

_"If Hiashi-sama hasn't told this to you before, I will do it now; you should infinitely prefer Neji's company before Hinata-sama's. He's got the Hyuga strength, whereas your sister is merely a distraction from your training."_

_Hanabi's pale eyes had grown larger during the short speech, and she was now staring at Kou's face in disbelief. "But she's my big sister!"_

_"Well, she doesn't really act like one, does she? When she could be with you, she's out instead, leaving you alone when you don't have training. Does that sound like something that good big sisters do?"_

_The five-year-old gave up on any resistance she had held and gazed at the ground as she let Kou drag her to the Hyuga compound._

_Hinata couldn't tear her eyes away from the scene, and was startled when Akamaru poked her knee with his nose. Kiba put her hand on her shoulder._

_"Everything okay?" he asked in concern, trying to read the mixed expression on Hinata's pale face. She frowned and nodded._

_"I… suppose," she said hesitantly and shook her head. She smelled the flowers, smiled in delight and put them on a nearby rock before turning to face Kiba so fast that her short locks swung in the air._

_"Where were we?"_

_Kiba grinned deviously at his best friend and gave Akamaru a meaningful look. "Akamaru, dynamic—"_

_"We didn't agree on any of that, idiot!" Hinata exclaimed nearly in panic as she quickly performed gentle fist on Kiba, then jumped behind a tree right in time - the only one suffering from Akamaru's dynamic marking was Kiba himself._

_He stood silently, drenched and smelly, and stared at Hinata. The Hyuga giggled and stepped back to the field._

_"You should know by now that I don't like that kind of surprises."_

_Kiba clicked his tongue._

_"I'll show you surprises…"_

_Before Hinata could react, Kiba had tackled her to the ground and was doing his best to give her some of the remnants of Akamaru's marking as well. Hinata squealed and tried to fight the brunet off, which was futile._

_Oh well, it wasn't like it was the first time. _

* * *

_Hinata, now twelve, walked to her father, who was enjoying his morning tea. With a determined mindset and expression, she cleared her throat and bowed. Hiashi turned around._

_"Father, I would like to show you my progress with the gentle fist. I believe I have improved quite a bit," she said with such formality that never had and never would feel natural to her. Hiashi didn't reply, but stood up with his cup of tea anyway, following Hinata to the training field._

_The young heir performed her improved technique, and although Hiashi had to admit that the girl had gotten pretty good at it despite training without help from any other Hyuga, he concealed it wholly. He merely stared at Hinata when she finished, slightly out of breath, waiting for a comment._

_"Where's the progress?" Hiashi inquired. Hinata had progressed greatly, but she didn't need to know that. Only that way she would get even better, even stronger, and in Hiashi's wishes, one day she would be strong enough to bring honor to her clan. However, just in case that didn't happen (and he was quite sure it wouldn't), he did have a plan that included Hanabi._

_Hinata opened her mouth in shock. For the past four years she had trained relentlessly with Kiba, Shino and her other friends, and even Kurenai, to get better; to get her father to finally take pride in her. Yet this was what she got._

_"I—I believe it's gotten a lot better—"_

_"Keep training, Hinata. Come back when you've truly mastered the gentle fist; that was merely a toddler stumbling with her first steps."_

_Hiashi turned on his heels and returned to his study, where he sat down with a sigh. It truly wore him off to do the role of the bad guy, but in the end he didn't have the gentleness his wife had had, and wasn't able to force it out anyway. He couldn't offer Hinata the comfort Sachiko could, nor could he pretend to take pride in a child who was so unlike her clan, so unlike her mother._

_What kept him attached to the child were the eyes and the striking resemblance to her mother. Although Sachiko had tamed remarkably after their marriage, Hiashi remembered her being quite a bit like Hinata in her childhood. They shared the determined expression when they wanted to show someone what they were made of._

_Now alone, Hinata clenched her hands into fists and cursed under her breath._

_One day she'd get a praise from him. One day._

* * *

_At fourteen, Hinata had become close friends with Ino and Sakura, and with that, calmed down remarkably. She had become graceful to the point where she occasionally reminded the older clan members of her late mother, which especially Hiashi held close to his heart. As little as he could show his affection to his daughter, he felt a wave of gentleness surge through him when he saw her. The fact that she was now behaving more like she was expected to only added to Hiashi's content._

_On occasion Hinata would bring Ino over and the two would press flowers. Hanabi would join them every now and then, which was now accepted. The more Hinata hung out with Ino and Sakura, the less bad influence she was considered to have; she was seen more as a Hyuga, a dear clan member._

_Hinata was walking back home from Ino's place one day in August. She had spent the whole day with her two friends, gossiping a bit, talking about both things that mattered and that were irrelevant, and also training. As much as all of them wished to just take it easy, they were also driven by the desire to get stronger and better – and what would be better than to combine the two? All of them felt like they had gotten stronger, and they had even learnt a few new techniques with the help of Kurenai and Tsunade. Hinata couldn't have felt more content with the day._

_She reached the gate to her home and saw Neji training with her father. She thought about just waiting for them to stop and leave, but after a quick reconsideration, she decided to just go. The two stopped the training immediately, following Hinata with their eyes._

_To Hinata's surprise, her father cleared his throat and called her name. "How was your day?"_

_She was startled for a fraction of a second, before smiling a bit nervously at her father. "It was great, father. We trained a lot, like always, and I feel like I have improved. How… how is your training going?" She still didn't feel natural at home or with her relatives, which was quite sad. The discomfort had only increased with her age, as she had gotten softer. She had grown sensitive to how she was seen, and now that she felt in her spine what her clan members thought of her, she was feeling as bad as ever whenever she was home. Earlier she could've shrugged it off, but now it bothered her greatly, haunted even._

_This time, again to Hinata's surprise, Neji was the one to talk. "It has gone very well. We just finished mastering the Eight Trigrams Vacuum Wall Palm, finally. I would like to see your progress at some point, if it's okay."_

_Hinata wanted to frown at the sudden friendly feeling she got from her father and cousin. They weren't being straight-out nice to her, but this was more than she'd gotten in the past. Knowing that she couldn't quite frown in front of them, she only smiled. "Sure, Neji-nii-san. Whenever you're free."_

_Neji nodded, and the two assigned a session for the next day._

_Hinata still felt like everything was terribly off. Even though the situation at the Hyuga compound had gotten remarkably better after her acquaintance with Ino and Sakura, she had yet to get used to it. She probably never would. It also didn't help that she missed her dear friend Kiba a whole lot - whereas her father was only glad that she didn't see the boy too much anymore, she was a lot less satisfied with that. She could still easily recall how easy it was to talk to him, and she missed that. While she enjoyed talking with Ino and Sakura (who else would she talk about girly things?), it was so different with Kiba. _

_And, well, she missed the dog, too. _

* * *

_Shortly after Hanabi had turned ten, the fifteen-year-old Hinata accidentally eavesdropped on a conversation between her father and the Hyuga elder. She had only been on her way out with Sakura and Ino, regardless that it was getting late, but instead she froze close to her father's study._

_"Are you sure you wish to make Hanabi the heir, Hiashi?" were the words that immediately caused Hinata to stop moving. Her heart skipped a beat as the sentence slowly registered in her brain. What exactly was going on? Everything had gone so well… was this really what it sounded like?_

_"Yes, honorable elder. Hinata has had fifteen years to prove her worth as an heir, but she has continuously failed to do so. Not only is she weaker than Hanabi, despite the age difference, I simply cannot see her as the heir. She's not suitable to become one; she lacks the calm, steady nature that being the clan head requires. I have thought this through several times by now."_

_Hinata brought her hand to her chest in an attempt to calm herself down. Her heart was beating at a rapid speed, and she couldn't deny that she was a bit scared. The Hyuga elder coughed, and Hinata heard him sigh._

_"So you're determined to go against your wife's will?" the elder asked, with a bit more of an interrogative tone. Hinata could sense that while he wasn't ready to restrict her father, he wasn't completely against the suggestion. "I cannot disagree with you, but should you not think it over one more time? For Sachiko's sake."_

_Hinata heard her father stand up, and immediately took a few steps away from the thin wall, but only so that she could still hear._

_"I will think it over once more. However, if I do come to the same conclusion, do I have your approval?"_

_Another sigh from the elder. By now he seemed to have given up._

_"Do as you please, Hiashi."_

_With that, the elder left the room, Hiashi soon after him. Hinata had already walked farther away, and was now by the gate. She was shaking a bit, but she had to shrug it off for the time being – she'd be able to get it off her chest when she saw Sakura and Ino. And she did. The two comforted her as she explained what she had heard, and even cried a little, much to her own surprise._

_"Shh, maybe he'll change his mind. Just do your best, train harder than ever. Show him that you're worth the title!"_

_Hinata truly admired the fighting spirit that her friends had, and merely smiled weakly at Sakura. She nodded – she definitely would show her father. If even that wasn't enough, then she would just have to admit the fact that Hanabi is a better choice._

_'What would Kiba-kun do in this situation?' a small voice in the back of her head was asking. She shook her head; she didn't know and she didn't need to. She did acknowledge that the boy occasionally had some very good solutions to different situations... even though this one would be too difficult for him to fix, a small part of her was wishing for his advice. _

_But as they were in no terms with each other, she had to ignore the voices in her head and focus on Sakura and Ino instead. They had to be enough._

* * *

However, it was very quiet on the topic of the heir after that. Hinata had, as she had decided, tried to show her father that she would be able to lead the clan. Hiashi dismissed most of the attempts, as he had, for the time being, decided to just keep Hinata as the heir. Should the situation change, he'd see about it again.

Therefore, Hinata had felt safe. She'd thought that her father had finally deemed her as a suitable heir; that he'd finally seen her potential.

Yet there she was, in Hanabi's arms, taken aback by how the situation was suddenly upside down. Things had been so calm at home, too – she couldn't think of anything that would give a reason to the sudden news.

"A-are you completely sure?" she asked quietly from her sister. She was still rather still, and she didn't seem to be able to move her body. She felt so powerless, as if she had just been sentenced to death. And, well, that's what it practically was – with the possibility to destroy her brain cells at their will, wouldn't the head family take advantage of it? She almost laughed. It was ridiculous.

Hanabi nodded sadly, burying her face in her sister's shoulder. Even though they hadn't spent much time together throughout the years, they still had a bond between them. They got along quite well and cared for each other, which was more than could be said for the rest of the clan – they didn't care much for Hinata and vice versa. Hanabi knew that early on, Hinata had had difficulties accepting the existence of a sibling, but since she had never experienced any of that herself, she didn't mind.

Despite everything, she was her big sister.

"I don't want them to brand you, nee-chan. I… I don't want to become the heir, I'm not suitable for it—"

Hinata silenced her sister with a tight hug, caressing her brown hair and soothing her with a soft voice.

"Shh, Hanabi… Listen to me," Hinata said, swallowing her own tears. She pushed Hanabi a bit farther and put her hands gently on her shoulders, locking their eyes together. "You'll make a better heir than I ever would. You're strong and skilled, level-headed and stable. You think things through and know how to behave in whatever situation you come across. I'm none of that. I come and go and rush into things. Just think of how the clan would be if I was its leader." Hinata chuckled softly.

Hanabi bit her lip and looked into her sister's pale, sad orbs. She was about to open her mouth, but Hinata pressed her forefinger on her lips. "Not a word, dear. You shouldn't be the one worrying about this." Hanabi's lips trembled as she broke into fresh tears and clung onto Hinata's neck.

All Hinata could do was to repeat that it would be okay, as little as she believed in her own words. She knew that it wasn't the end of the world, but it sure felt like it was.

As much as she got comfort from Hanabi, she couldn't help but wish for only one thing – to see Kiba. She would've done anything just to be in his strong arms, hearing his comforting words and inhaling his safe, familiar scent.

The thought of the brunet only caused her heart to ache more. She'd have to survive a day without him, and truth to be told, she wasn't sure of how she would manage, surrounded by all of the more or less hateful Hyugas. She only had one person to take comfort in, and that very person was sobbing in her arms. No light to be seen.

* * *

Thirty minutes after the breaking news, Kiba was training with his sister, but he was extremely absent-minded, and Hana noticed it. She ended their training and approached her brother.

"Everything okay?" she asked gently. She knew what had happened, but she didn't to bring the topic up herself. Akamaru pushed his nose against Kiba's leg sadly and received a small pat from him.

Kiba sneered. "Hyuga is such a messed-up clan," he said and hit his forehead with his hand. "How do they have have the heart to only bring misery to one of their own clan members? I don't get it, I could never imagine any of us harming another Inuzuka."

Hana stroked Kiba's arm comfortingly, a sympathetic look on her face. "That's the Hyuga for you. Do you think you could try to change Hiashi's mind?"

Kiba shook his head and winced. "I haven't spoken with him, ever, and from what I've heard, boyfriends aren't too popular within the main family…" Hana sighed and chewed on the insides of her cheeks. There had to be a way…

"Would trying kill you? I don't know much about him, but I want to believe that he's not made out of stone."

Kiba shrugged. To him the Hyuga sure did come off as a stone man. From what he knew, he didn't seem humane in the least. He was so upset that such a thing would happen – he knew how the things were between the main and the branch families, and for Hinata to end up in the branch family broke his heart. She'd have to carry the cursed seal and be at the mercy of the main family, and well, Kiba didn't trust them.

"Try it, Kiba," Hana said, this time with such determination that for a moment Kiba was startled. Where was that coming from? As if reading his mind, Hana smirked at him. "I refuse to acknowledge you as my brother; as an Inuzuka; if you just let shit happen."

Kiba couldn't help but chuckle. Maybe she was right, and trying wouldn't kill him. Hiashi could easily kill him, but trying itself wouldn't. Slowly, the determination began to build inside of him. If he didn't try, he wouldn't qualify as an Inuzuka, he'd merely be scum. And to himself, he wouldn't even qualify as a man in that case – no proper man would let their love meet misery if they could help it. The least he could do was to _try_.

He refused to believe that the game was lost. Surely there would be a way to keep Hinata safe, to keep the smile on her lips. That's all he wanted, really – a happy Hinata, smiling warmly at him. At the moment he didn't quite feel like that was what she was doing.

"I'll do it."

* * *

**A/N: Hope you liked it! If there's something you'd like to say about the fic or just comment on it, please do review! Constructive criticism is welcome, too. :)**


	8. Chapter 8: Restricted freedom

**A/N: In which there seems to be an immense amount of fluff in this chapter. XoX And so the plot thickens! I don't own Naruto. **

* * *

Hinata was sitting on her bed with an exhausted Hanabi in her arms. She ran her slender fingers through her brown hair at a slow pace, as if to calm her down, although she had done so quite a while earlier already. Maybe it was more for her own comfort, maybe she only wanted to keep her sister calm – even she wasn't sure.

She sighed, but jumped slightly when she heard a clamor outside in the form of a very unusual, loud voice of Neji's.

_"Stop! You're not allowed to enter our property!"_

Hinata immediately frowned and whispered a few words to Hanabi, letting her lie on her bed. She walked to the door and activated her Byakugan, which allowed her to see a form, presumably Neji, walking behind someone else. Curious about the person's identity, she moved the chair from her door and opened it slightly, and gasped quietly when she saw a rather furious Kiba walking away from her cousin.

"Where's the head of the clan?" his raspy voice was demanding and made Neji twitch in anger.

"You have no right to be here, you damn—"

"Neji, let it go." Everyone's heads turned to the direction of Hiashi's study, where the middle-aged Hyuga was standing with his arms crossed. "What is your business here?"

Kiba smirked – finally the person he wanted to meet. Although he was severely nervous and intimidated, he knew that he couldn't let it show too much; he had to remain strong and determined, for Hinata.

"I would like to talk about your daughter," the outsider said, attempting to sound more formal than he normally would. Hiashi's expression didn't change at all, as he only waited for the brunet to continue. "As much as I understand that this is your clan and your rules, I think you should re-consider your decision. She's a lovely girl, and the last thing I wish for is to see her freedom taken away."

Neji shook his head at the outrageousness of the situation, he was almost amused by it. Who did this guy think he was? Hiashi let out an amused, heavy exhale and took a few steps closer to the visitor, who gulped and raised his chin. He had to stay calm.

"So _you_, not a member of this clan, are _here_, in _my_ property, asking for _me_, the _head_ of this clan, to turn my decision around?" Hiashi summed up the situation in a questioning manner that was intentionally very regret-provoking. Kiba, however, was unaffected by that, and only nodded. "How has Tsume raised you for you to be so—"

Hiashi's words were cut as there was a loud thump when Hinata rapidly opened her door and ran to stand in the middle of Kiba and Hiashi, which shocked everyone. Kiba gawked, Neji's eyes widened, and Hiashi opened his mouth in surprise. His eyes, however, showed no surprise.

"Stop! Kiba-kun, this has nothing to do with you, and father—please show some respect to him and his mother! Before judging someone else's parenting skills, please take a look at your own!" the indigo-haired, enraged Hyuga cried out, not even bothering to think of the consequences of her outburst. What would happen would happen, there was nothing she could do about it. Kiba placed his hand on her shoulder and squeezed it gently, and Hinata put her hand on top of his, breathing a bit heavily as she didn't stop talking for a second.

Hiashi stood silently, but when he saw the look in Kiba's and Hinata's eyes – the other ones depicted affection for the girl while the other ones showed anger and worry, it all clicked. He gave his daughter and Kiba a rather uncharacteristic, crooked smirk and uncrossed his arms.

"Very well, young Inuzuka. I suppose I can accept your request," he started and purposely held a pause, during which both of the youngsters looked relieved, yet also shocked. However, all that died fast as he continued, "with the condition that you two will cease your... relationship, if it can be called that."

Kiba couldn't do much else than gawk at Hiashi, whereas Hinata was quick to react as soon as she overcame the initial shock.

"You—you have no right to control my life to that extent! You've never cared, why start now?" The former heiress was visibly distraught as the words flew out of her mouth. The fact that her father seemed so indifferent to how she was feeling wasn't much of a comfort.

"Hinata, the second you were born to this clan was the second I gained control of the rest of your life. As a Hyuga there are several things you cannot do, and letting you fool around with this rascal would be a great threat to the clan," Hiashi's voice was awfully monotonous and lacked any kind of feeling; it was as if he wasn't even talking about anyone he knew, let alone his own daughter. Hinata was about to retort again, but Kiba stepped forward and put his arm before her as a sign to stop.

"Hinata, it's okay. Hyuga-sama, I… understand. If that is all you demand in order for Hinata to remain free from the cursed seal, then I'm more than willing to comply." Hinata was shocked to hear Kiba's words and she could feel her heart sink. As much as she wanted to fight back, she couldn't force a single word out; instead, she felt like air had just been kicked out of her lungs.

Hiashi nodded and bowed. "It's settled, then. Now, please help yourself away from my home and daughter, and remain that way." With that, both Hiashi and a rather satisfied Neji left, leaving behind a very, very quiet couple.

Kiba turned to face Hinata, who had tears in her eyes, and her lips were trembling. "I—I don't want to be separated from you again, Kiba-kun. I-I can't."

The brunet gave her a pained smile and took her into a tight embrace, caressing her back and neck while kissing the top of her head. "You won't. I have a plan, Hinata. We'll have to be apart for a while, but I'll explain it to you eventually."

Hinata rested her cheek against Kiba's chest, letting her tears wet his shirt as she tried to find comfort in his heartbeat. On one hand she felt relieved that she would be able to avoid getting branded, but on the other hand she knew that her future looked very grim if her father would stick with his decision, and she knew he would.

"Promise me something," she said quietly and took some of Kiba's shirt into her fists. She felt the brunet nod, and swallowed her tears. "Don't forget about me."

He shook his head and raised her chin, smiling gently at her. "I would never forget about you. You must be crazy to think that I would, after all these years." He then pressed a soft kiss onto Hinata's tear-wetted lips, to which she eagerly replied and wrapped her arms around his neck. She couldn't have cared less about the fact that they were in the middle of the main yard of the Hyuga compound, not when she felt so defeated and empty inside.

Eventually Kiba broke the kiss and tried to smile encouragingly at Hinata. "I'll see you around." Hinata could only nod – her lips were trembling already, and she knew that if she'd open them in the least, she'd break down again. In silence, Kiba left her, his heart awfully heavy, as confident as he tried to stay in his plan.

It would work out, right?

* * *

Days passed, and neither Kiba nor Hinata was too happy with how things were. They missed each other, but seeing as breaking Hiashi's condition wouldn't have any positive consequences, they had to stay away. Hinata had met up with Sakura and Ino a lot in order to distract herself and to open up her heart, but she had also met up with Shikamaru and Temari a couple of times.

They had bumped to each other in the village center, as the two had been shopping while she was walking home from Ino's flower shop. Temari had been the one to recognize her first, and the couple had then approached her.

"Man, you look awful," had been Shikamaru's first, very thoughtful words that he let out when he saw the Hyuga. Hinata merely smiled and shrugged, and Temari couldn't help but frown. She had never seen her in such a condition – although her looks didn't scream that she was a mess inside, there was such a drastic change to the worse that it was still visible to anyone who knew her. And especially if you knew what had happened, it would be all the more obvious.

"How are you holding up?" the blonde asked worriedly, stroking Hinata's arm gently. She shrugged and looked into Temari's comforting blue orbs.

"I try to stay positive, but I don't think it's working too well," she said softly and chuckled by the end of her sentence, letting her gaze fall to the ground. Shikamaru sighed and put his free hand (the other was holding Temari's) to his hip.

"Try harder, Kiba'll work it out," he said sternly, and Hinata showed immediate alertness upon hearing Kiba's name. She looked so curious that Shikamaru couldn't help but snicker. "We saw him just a while ago, and he said that he had a plan together. I think he's still by Ichiraku, so if you're quick, you might catch him."

Temari squeezed his hand, but all Hinata was able to do was to stare at him, as if his words didn't register in her brain. Eventually Shikamaru frowned impatiently and shooed her with his hand. "What are you waiting for, _go_!"

Hinata shook her head to clear her mind and hugged the two tightly, much to Shikamaru's dismay – it was enough that Temari insisted on cuddling every now and then, he didn't need any other woman doing the same.

Then, without a word, the Hyuga darted off, and "_Shikamaru, I owe you!_" started echoing for a few seconds in the streets. Shikamaru scratched the back of his head a bit embarrassedly and eyed Temari, who was glowing with a wide grin. She gently slapped his cheek a couple of times before pressing a kiss on it. "You're such a good guy." He groaned and aimed his attention elsewhere, but Temari kept hers intently on him. She was so happy to have him by her side - although she was one of the most independent women Shikamaru had ever met, she had her moments, too. Surprisingly often, actually.

Within a couple of minutes, Hinata had reached the Ichiraku Ramen shop, and as soon as she saw the familiar brunet with the white dog, she looked around herself, ran to him, took a hold of his arm and pulled him to a darker valley. Akamaru barked as Kiba scowled, but both went silent when they saw who it was. Hinata pressed him against the wall and tip-toed to kiss him with fervor, letting her hands tangle in his hair. Akamaru turned away and murmured, whereas Kiba placed his hands on Hinata's waist.

As soon as Hinata broke the kiss, Kiba pressed his warm hand to her cold cheek to caress it and gave her the fanged smile she so much loved. "Your hands are cold, and so is your cheek. Should I warm you up?" She let out a relieved laugh and smiled widely, pressing her cheek against his hand.

"Even you will never be able to do that, but this might do just fine," she said affectionately and looked up at him, treasuring every small detail of his facial features. Kiba pecked the tip of her nose, then forced his face to a more serious expression.

"Have you been alright?" he asked quietly and caressed her cheek with his thumb. She shook her head and pressed her body against his.

"But I'm good now," she sighed, closing her eyes. "Shikamaru said that you have a plan… care to share?" Kiba wrapped his arms around her slender shoulders and placed his chin on top of her head.

"Well, stating the obvious, we can't let your father, or any other relative of yours, see us." She nodded. "And continuing with that, we should therefore meet in secret. You'll have to lie about your whereabouts, but I don't think that'll be a problem? Thought so. So…"

Kiba went on to explain the vision he had, which included rarely visited places, longer, more complicated roads to his house and lots of other ideas on how Hinata could deceive her father. She took it all in eagerly, doing her best to comprehend it all. The plan didn't sound flawless, but she was willing to try if it meant seeing Kiba on a more or less regular basis like before. She was more than fed up with not seeing him, as she was not the least willing to go back to the years when they hadn't exchanged a word.

Now that she had gotten to get a taste of Kiba, she didn't want to let go, and she definitely wouldn't, if it was up to her.

Akamaru returned to the two and wagged his tail with his nose aimed up to Hinata. He licked her hand and finally got a pat on his head from her. She giggled and freed herself from Kiba's arms, squatting before the dog with a wide, happy smile on her lips. "I missed you too, Akamaru." Kiba crossed his arms before his chest and adored the sight of Hinata and Akamaru getting along – what more could he wish for? …Well, for a lot of things, but the sight was enough to satisfy him for the time being.

"Has your father truly given up on the plan?" Kiba asked, generally interested – he didn't trust the older Hyuga enough to blindly accept his change of heart. Hinata rubbed Akamaru behind his ears and nodded.

"Pretty much. He almost treats me normally by now, but it could still be better, as always," she explained and turned her face to her newly secret boyfriend. "How are your mother and sister?"

"They're fine, mom's surprisingly worried about you," Kiba said with a hint of amusement in his voice, and Hinata was startled by the words, raising her eyebrows in surprise. "She grew fond of you during the time you talked. I want to believe that it's her conscience's way of making up for the years of being wrong."

She smiled shyly and stood up, taking Kiba's hands into hers. "Tell her that I'm fine, and that I appreciate her worry. Also," Hinata quietened her voice and leaned closer to Kiba's ear, "I love you."

Kiba's eyes widened and he could feel blood rush to his cheeks, and the corners of his mouth curved upwards as he turned to a flushed Hinata, who was trying to hide her face in his shoulder, failing miserably. "Well, little one, I love you too."

Hinata was blushing harder than she thought was possible, but she was so immensely happy that she tried to discard the embarrassment. She was glad that she had finally managed to put the feelings into words, after all the years; she had come to the conclusion that she had, in fact, held the feelings for him for quite a while. Kiba had come a similar conclusion when he had been thinking about how it was possible that his feelings surfaced so fast, and it all made sense when he thought about their past, and how he was hurt on so many different levels when Hinata had started hanging out with Ino and Sakura. It was definitely more than a friend's hurt.

Kiba cupped Hinata's cheeks and pulled her into a soft, sweet kiss that neither wanted to ever end. Akamaru turned away once again, utterly embarrassed to see his partner kissing, well, _anyone_. Hinata let herself melt into the kiss, and hesitantly deepened it just a bit, pulling him closer and smiling against his lips. The two had truly missed each other, and were more than eager to make up for it to the best of their ability.

However, all good things come to an end, and so did their meeting. Slowly, Hinata pulled away, and took a step backwards.

"I should go, my father will get suspicious if I stay much longer…" she muttered in disappointment, and Kiba nodded in understanding.

"Better safe than sorry, huh. Um, how about we meet at Ichiraku on Saturday, let's say, at five o'clock, and if there's no one around, go to my place?" Kiba's suggestion was a bit tentative, but Hinata had no reason to decline. Any opportunity to see him, and she would take it in a heartbeat.

"Don't be late," she said and grinned, brushing her hand against his body as she began walking away backwards. She waved cheerfully. "I'll see you on Saturday."

Kiba nodded with a smile and waved back at her, thoughts immediately set on the mentioned day. Akamaru poked his leg with his nose, signaling that they should get going, too.

"Right, you must be hungry," the brunet realized and got on the dog's back. The two were fast to reach the Inuzuka house, and met Tsume by the door. She was zipping up her vest when her son reached her, and she raised an eyebrow.

"Took you quite long to eat ramen with Naruto," she said, clearly suggesting that he'd done something else in the process. Kiba nodded with a serious face, hopped down from Akamaru's back and walked closer to his mother.

"I saw Hinata," he said and observed the look in his mother's eyes shift from speculation to curiosity. "She's doing well, and appreciates your worry. So… you know, she's good."

Tsume blinked, then gave her son a slightly worried glance. "You're planning on something, aren't you?"

Kiba sighed and opened the door the their house, turning around upon entering. "Don't worry, we won't get caught." Akamaru went in, and Kiba gave his mother a small smile. "Good night."

She muttered the words back at him, and soon went off to her mission with Kuromaru by her side. She couldn't help the nagging feeling at the back of her head that her son was about to get in some serious trouble.

* * *

When Hinata got home, she made sure to avoid any and all contact with her clan members, which in all honesty wasn't too difficult, as she was usually not approached by anyone else than her father or, on occasion, Hanabi. Usually the contact was more indirect, like talking behind her back, which she didn't pay much attention to anymore.

Days passed, and soon the fateful Wednesday had turned to Saturday, and Hinata was eating at Ichiraku Ramen. Knowing that she would spend the day with Kiba, she had put on a rare, lavender-colored dress of hers and a thin black cardigan over it, seeing as September had come with a wind too cold for her. She had just finished her first portion when someone sat next to her, and from the corner of her eye she could see that it was Kiba, with Akamaru sitting between him and her.

She smiled warmly to herself. "Good to see you," she said, and Kiba nodded with a smile, and the two ordered ramen – Hinata's appetite was as good as ever. The two didn't dare to talk about too personal things, so they kept their conversation on a general level, talking about what they had done during the past days and if they had any missions coming up. Both had something coming up – Hinata would have a shorter mission starting on Monday and Kiba was to have a challenging, a bit longer mission starting the very next day.

The two finished eating after a while, and after a quick check around themselves, started walking to Kiba's house with Akamaru guiding them. His and Kiba's noses were alert to any scents of a Hyuga, which proved to be a great help, as the three were able to avoid Neji and Kou on their way. When they were closer to the house and knew that there was no one around, Hinata stepped closer to him and took his hand into hers.

"This is surprisingly stressful," she said, slightly amused, and observed the profile of Kiba's concentrated face. He nodded and Hinata caught a glimpse of his fang as he smirked.

"I quite like the thrill, actually. It really gets the adrenaline going," Kiba said and turned his head to face Hinata for a moment, "and also brings out the feeling of wanting to protect you."

Hinata blushed slightly and punched Kiba's shoulder lightly. "You're getting all sappy, Inuzuka." The male laughed and ruffled Hinata's hair, messing the previously neat locks.

"Nah, you like it anyway," he said smugly and stole a kiss from the embarrassed Hyuga, grinning afterwards. "Now let's hurry up, the house is a lot safer than the streets."

So the three ran uphill to the house, and Hinata closed the door behind them. Akamaru went to eat, and Hana poked her head out of her study, greeting the two cheerfully.

"Good to see that you're okay, Hinata-chan," she said, and gave Kiba a more stern look. "And you better keep it that way, little brother."

The male couldn't help but roll his eyes. "I've had that talk several times with mom by now, and yes, we will be careful. Don't worry, nee-chan." Hinata chuckled at the siblings, and wished that she had a similar relationship with Hanabi, but the reality was that the Hyuga sisters were painfully distant, although they had grown a bit closer during the past few weeks, ever since Hiashi had decided to brand Hinata. But still, it was nothing compared to the relationship between Hana and Kiba.

"You better, the record of what has happened after you've said '_don't worry_' isn't too bright, Kiba."

"I've matured since then," the brunet said and began dragging Hinata upstairs. "Now if you would excuse us." Hinata, out of habit, waved at the older Inuzuka with an apologetic expression, but Hana only shook her head in amusement, mouthing '_That's just the way he is._'

The couple reached Kiba's room and settled comfortably on his bed. He rested his back to the wall and pulled Hinata to his lap sideways, wrapped his arms around her and locked his hands by her hip. Hinata took her arm behind Kiba's neck and stared deep into his brown eyes, opening her lips a tiny bit. The male sighed contently and rested his head on her chest, inhaling her scent greedily. Her breath hitched, and she was trying to understand how the situation suddenly got so... intimate.

"You still use the same perfume," he stated, and Hinata nodded, biting her lower lip. He was so close to her that it was speeding up her heartbeat, and she quite liked the feeling. What if he was even closer…

Hinata shifted on Kiba's lap so that she was sitting astride, took her hands to his hair and played with the brown strands of hair. Kiba looked at her quizzically but smirked as he took his hands to her behind, pulling her even closer. She gasped and could feel her heart beating wildly, and her body grew warmer by the second. He looked irresistible, he smelled irresistible; he _was_ irresistible.

So she crashed their lips together hungrily, her eyes shut tightly and her hands fisting his hair. Kiba frowned at the new sensation, but soon his expression softened as he let the kiss take him with it. He took his other hand to the back of Hinata's head, deepening the kiss with his tongue, while his other hand was at her lower back. Hinata whimpered quietly into the kiss, causing Kiba to smirk and pull away.

"Well, that was cute," he said teasingly, circling his thumb around her lower back. Hinata shook her head in embarrassment and hid her face in Kiba's neck He laughed and patted her head. "Now, now, don't take it like that."

Just as he was about to push Hinata's head away from his shoulder, both of them jumped when they heard Tsume clear her throat by the door.

"Sorry to disturb you, but we have things to talk through. Both of you."

Hinata wanted to hide under a rock, whereas Kiba only nodded and comforted Hinata when Tsume had left the two, telling them to come downstairs as soon as possible.

"You might want to get used to this, Hinata," Kiba laughed and hit Hinata's back when the two had stood up. She yelped and nodded, giving Kiba a glare.

"And you might want to get a lock on your door." Kiba shrugged and took his right arm around Hinata's shoulders as the two began to go down the stairs. Both had their own speculations about what Tsume wanted to talk about, but only the woman herself knew the truth.

They reached the doorway to the living room, where Tsume was sitting on a three-seat couch. She urged them to take a seat beside her, as she was sitting in the middle, and cleared her throat.

"So, what I want to talk to you about…"

* * *

**A/N: Although it's slowly forming in my mind, I've got no clear idea of where exactly this fic is going... ;A; I hope that you've enjoyed the fic so far though, and reviews would be appreciated!**


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